Lech Lecha teaches us two critical lessons: to go and to wait. God tells Abraham to leave everything behind, including the comfort of his home, and promises to bring Abraham to another land where he will be the father of a great nation. Shockingly, 75-year-old Abraham followed God’s orders. Abraham completely uprooted himself and his family to travel to the unknown land he was promised: an act of pure faith. Abraham never asked for a map or directions, he just simply went. His future was completely undefined but his faith gave him the courage to walk, even in uncertainty.
As if the ambiguous journey wasn’t enough, the second, more difficult commandment from God, was to wait.
Abraham followed God’s orders, expecting blessings to arrive at his doorstep, but instead he faced famine, conflict, heartbreak, and more delay. God even told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves for 400 years before they would ultimately inherit the land, but nonetheless, Abraham waited.
After agonizing years of waiting to have a child, Sarah, Abraham’s 90-year-old wife, bore their first child. This long awaited fulfillment of God’s long-ago-promise was a testament to the unwavering faith of Abraham and Sarah.
From the story of Lech Lecha, we can understand faith as the eternal, “Are we there yet?”. The “waiting game” was part of God’s plan to test Abraham’s faith.
Lech lecha is a personal parsha, because we can all reflect on our own journeys with faith. This parsha is about spiritual patience, not just blind obedience. Part of our dedication to God must come with a conscious, present understanding that divine promises are not on earthly timelines. Sometimes, we are called to step out into the unknown, the uncomfortable, the terrifying, and we must accept that call. Our journey truly begins not with the first step, but when we continue to wait and walk with faith. Sometimes, the promises seem distant, and we ask ourselves why we are on this journey if not for the personal benefits.
We have to keep walking. We have to know and believe that God’s plan is a work in progress, even when it’s impossible to see and excruciating to wait for.
The act of going is faith in action, trusting God to move forward into the unknown. The act of waiting is faith in endurance, trusting God enough to have patience with his promises. Lech Lecha reminds us that God’s promises take time, but they are never broken.
