Biblical faith is not like what our milieu today often considers faith—make-believe, wishing hard, subjectively hoping without a secure basis or even object. Biblical faith depends on God’s faithfulness—on God’s dependability. It is not clear how much Abram yet knew about God; his father’s family apparently served other gods (Josh 24:2), yet at some point focused on this true God as their family or tribal god (Gen 31:53). Sometimes Abram experienced God in visions (15:1); sometimes the text says that God appeared to him (12:7; 17:1; apparently in physical human form in 18:1). Whatever else this means, Abram had more than a subjective feeling depend on. (Of course, because believers today experience the Spirit within, this leading is often enough for us. But God can make dramatic matters clear in dramatic ways, when needed.)
His entire family had planned to travel to Canaan at one point, a time when many were migrating from Mesopotamia there. They ended up settling in Haran, however, still in Mesopotamia, and never made the rest of the journey (11:31). Generations later, Israel in the wilderness would be tempted to stop short of entering the land of promise, leaving the promise to be fulfilled instead to their children in the next generation. Abram’s father stopped short of the goal of Canaan, though we do not know whether in his case it was a divine call. For Abram, however, this was his mission, a divine call.
Please follow the link to continue reading this article from Dr. Keener
http://www.craigkeener.com/the-call-to-go-in-faith-genesis-121/
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