It is never too late
by Faye Schmidt
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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithful and be blameless’. Abram fell facedown and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations’ (Genesis 17:1,3).
Read Genesis 17:1–14
What an invitation! This is no distant God, but one who seeks fellowship with us. God wants to walk the journey of life with us. Enoch and Noah also ‘walked with God’ (Genesis 5:22,24; Genesis 6:9). Also, before his fall, Adam walked with God.
Sin broke this fellowship between God and us, but through Christ’s blood, we can ‘walk’ with him in fellowship again.
But not only are we to be in fellowship with God, but to be blameless. How can this be? There is no way I can be held blameless or perfect. Christ is our answer. In Ephesians 1:4, we read: ‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.’ From the beginning, it was God’s plan that we would be redeemed and made perfect in his sight through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Abram was 99 when this invitation to walk with God came to him. Most of us won’t reach that age, let alone possibly be physically able to walk! Whatever our age, the invitation from God is to us all, and we are never too old – to hear the invitation to be in fellowship with God through Christ and respond in faith.
And what did Abram do on receiving this invitation? He ‘fell facedown’, a sign of respect to God and hearing his word. We, too, show our respect to hearing God’s word when we bow our heads, kneel or stand to attention.
We are faced almost daily with instances where God’s name or his words are treated with disrespect, and the concept of reverence is alien to many. Swearing, abuse and mockery seem to be the order of the day.
God, through Christ, has made it possible for God to see us as blameless, perfect in his sight. Therefore, in thankfulness and praise, we witness to his grace and love through our reverence of his name and word.
Heavenly Father, may your name be kept holy, and your will be done as I walk this day with you as my guide, leading me to my rest in eternity to your glory. Amen.
Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.
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