The Pilgrim Faith of Abraham: Blessed to Be a Blessing
What does it mean to be truly blessed? And once we're blessed, what are we supposed to do with it?
These questions have haunted me for years as a pastor. I've watched people chase after blessing like it's the finish line—more money, bigger houses, better careers, perfect families. And I've watched them arrive at those destinations only to find themselves still empty, still restless, still asking, "Is this all there is?"
The problem isn't that we want to be blessed. God wants to bless us. The problem is that we've misunderstood what blessing is for.
We think blessing is the destination. God knows it's the starting point.
We think we're blessed so we can enjoy life. God blesses us so we can become a blessing to others.
And nobody in Scripture illustrates this better than Abraham.
The Call That Changes Everything
Abraham—originally called Abram—was living in Ur of the Chaldeans, one of the most advanced cities of the ancient world. He had family, security, a comfortable life. And then God showed up with a radical invitation:
"Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others." (Genesis 12:1-2 NLT)
Notice the progression: I will bless you... and you will be a blessing.
This is the pattern of the kingdom. God blesses you not so you can hoard it, but so you can channel it to others. You're not the reservoir—you're the river. You're not the destination—you're the conduit.
But here's what's remarkable: Before Abraham could become a blessing to others, he had to walk a specific path of faith. And that path has three distinct movements that still apply to us today.
Step 1: Leave What Is Secure
"So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed." (Genesis 12:4 NLT)
The first step in pilgrim faith is leaving—releasing your grip on what feels safe and familiar.
For Abraham, this meant leaving:
His country (identity and belonging)
His relatives (community and support system)
His father's household (inheritance and legacy)
God was asking him to walk away from everything that defined him. Everything that gave him security. Everything that promised him a future.
And notice—God didn't give him all the details upfront. He said, "Go to the land that I will show you." Abraham had to leave before he knew where he was going.
This is where most of us get stuck. We want the full itinerary before we take the first step. We want guarantees before we obey. We want to see the promised land before we leave Ur.
But faith doesn't work that way.
Faith says: "God, I don't know where this is going, but I trust You enough to take the next step."
What Does This Look Like Today?
Leaving doesn't always mean physically relocating (though sometimes it does). It means releasing your grip on whatever is keeping you from fully following God:
Maybe it's leaving a career that pays well but contradicts your values
Maybe it's leaving a relationship that's pulling you away from God
Maybe it's leaving behind an identity you've built that isn't who God created you to be
Maybe it's leaving the approval of people who don't understand your calling
The question is: What is God asking you to leave? What security blanket are you clinging to that He's asking you to release?
Because here's the truth: You cannot step into your calling until you step out of your comfort.
Step 2: Believe Through the Delay
Abraham left. He obeyed. He walked away from everything he knew.
And then... nothing happened.
God had promised to make him into a great nation, to give him descendants as numerous as the stars. But years passed. Then decades. Abraham and Sarah got older and older. And still, no son.
By the time Isaac was finally born, Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90.
Twenty-five years between the promise and the fulfillment.
Two and a half decades of waiting. Of wondering. Of asking, "God, did I hear You right? Did I miss something? Did I mess this up?"
This is the second step of pilgrim faith: believing—continuing to trust God even when circumstances scream that His promises are impossible.
The Temptation to Force It
During the waiting period, Abraham and Sarah got tired of trusting. They decided to "help God out" by having Abraham father a child through Sarah's servant Hagar. The result was Ishmael—a son born through human effort rather than divine promise.
And it created generational conflict that continues to this day.
Here's what I've learned: When we try to force God's promises in our timing and through our methods, we create Ishmaels—things that look like blessings but actually complicate our lives and delay God's best.
God's promises don't need our help. They need our faith.
What Does This Look Like Today?
You've been praying for that prodigal child to come home. You've been believing for that marriage to be restored. You've been trusting God for that ministry opportunity, that financial breakthrough, that healing.
And it's been years. And you're starting to wonder if God even heard your prayers.
This is where faith is forged. Not in the immediate answer, but in the long obedience in the same direction. Not in seeing the promise fulfilled, but in continuing to believe when all evidence suggests it won't happen.
The question is: What promise are you tempted to give up on? What are you trying to force instead of trusting God's timing?
Because here's the truth: The waiting is not wasted. God is working even when you can't see it.
Step 3: Surrender What You've Received
Finally, after all those years of waiting, Isaac was born. The promised son. The miracle child. The fulfillment of everything God had promised.
Abraham and Sarah must have thought, "Finally! Now we can enjoy this blessing. Now we can rest."
But then God showed up with the most devastating command in all of Scripture:
"Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you." (Genesis 22:2 NLT)
Read that again slowly. God asked Abraham to sacrifice the very thing He had promised. To give back the blessing he'd waited 25 years to receive.
This is the third step of pilgrim faith: surrendering—holding everything with open hands, willing to give back even what God has given you.
The Test of Worship
Early the next morning (notice—no hesitation, no delay), Abraham took Isaac and headed to Mount Moriah. When Isaac asked where the lamb for the sacrifice was, Abraham said something profound:
"God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering, my son." (Genesis 22:8 NLT)
Even in the midst of this impossible command, Abraham believed God would provide. He wasn't just willing to sacrifice Isaac—he believed God could raise him from the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:19).
And at the last moment, as Abraham's knife was raised, God stopped him:
"Don't lay a hand on the boy! Now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son." (Genesis 22:12 NLT)
God provided a ram caught in the thicket. Isaac was spared. But something had died on that mountain—Abraham's right to control his own blessings.
What Does This Look Like Today?
God may never ask you to literally sacrifice your child (this was a unique test for Abraham, foreshadowing God's sacrifice of His own Son). But He will ask you to surrender whatever you love more than Him:
Your ministry that's become your identity
Your financial security that's become your god
Your reputation that you protect at all costs
Your children that you've made into idols
Your dreams that have replaced His will
The question is: What has God given you that you're unwilling to give back? What blessing has become your functional savior?
Because here's the truth: You don't really possess anything you're unwilling to surrender.
The Pattern That Unlocks Blessing
Do you see the pattern?
Leave what is secure → Believe through the delay → Surrender what you receive
This is the pilgrim faith that transformed Abraham from a comfortable man in Ur into the father of all who believe. And this is the same faith pattern that will transform you from a consumer of blessings into a conduit of blessings.
God blessed Abraham. But Abraham didn't get to enjoy that blessing in selfish isolation. He had to walk a path of radical obedience that made him into someone who could handle the blessing without being destroyed by it.
And through Abraham's willingness to leave, believe, and surrender, God's promise was fulfilled:
"All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3 NLT)
Your Pilgrim Journey
So where are you in this journey?
Are you in the leaving stage? God is calling you away from something comfortable, and you're wrestling with whether to obey. Let me encourage you: The blessing on the other side of obedience is worth whatever you're leaving behind.
Are you in the believing stage? You've obeyed, but nothing seems to be happening. You're tired of waiting. You're tempted to force it. Let me encourage you: God has not forgotten His promise. The delay is not a denial. Keep believing.
Are you in the surrendering stage? God has blessed you, but now He's asking you to hold it loosely, maybe even give it back. Let me encourage you: Whatever you surrender to God, He will either return to you or replace with something better. You cannot out-give God.
The Ultimate Pilgrim
There's one more thing I need to tell you: Abraham's story points to someone greater.
Jesus is the ultimate pilgrim. He left heaven's glory to come to earth. He believed the Father would raise Him from the dead. He surrendered His life on the cross.
And through Jesus's willingness to walk this path, God's promise to Abraham was ultimately fulfilled. Through Jesus, all peoples on earth are blessed.
The same pattern that Abraham walked, Jesus perfected. And now, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus invites us to walk it too.
Not to earn salvation—that's a free gift. But to experience the abundant, purposeful, world-changing life He created us for.
We are blessed to be a blessing.
The question is: Are you willing to walk the pilgrim path?
This is adapted from my book "Blessed to Be a Blessing," which explores how God calls us to channel His blessings to a broken world. If this resonated with you, I'd love to hear your story. Where are you in your pilgrim journey? Email me at hazen.stevens@gatecityatl.com
