January 7

Genesis 12:1‑2
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.”―Genesis 12:1, 21Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (Genesis 12:1‑2).
NOTE the expression “had said.” It was before, not after, he left Ur of the Chaldees that this word came to Abram. He was commanded to leave not only his country, but also all his kindred, to go to a land which God would show to him. It is evident that, in the beginning, there was not sufficient faith or understanding to enable him to act upon this, so he allowed his father, Terah, to take the lead, and as a family they left the land of their nativity and went on to Haran, where they remained until after Terah’s death, when the original instruction he had received was remembered and acted upon, and Abraham led the way to the land of Canaan.
My Prayer
“Dear Lord, go with me as I travel on my way,
Help me to think no ill from day to day.
Teach me to smile through tears, and to employ
A kindly word or deed—that joy
May linger near some soul
Who strives to sing, tho’ billows roll.
If on the mountain, or the sunny lea,
O’er carefree trails, or on the sea,
I need Thy Presence with me everywhere,
Stay near, dear Lord—this is my prayer.”
—Mae Troy-Hawkins.