Advent-ure Day 3: Special Man, Special People

We read in Romans 4 that:
16Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all17(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did...

As we continue to work our way through our Advent-ure, we see that God continued to make agreements, or covenants, with human beings - He came to Noah prior to the flood and devoted Himself to preserving fallen humanity.  He came to Abraham, a man of faith, and said that the nations would be blessed through Him.  That promise has been extended to us because of what Jesus has done for us.  By faith, we receive the promise of redemption, made to people from generations past, and fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ, who has made it possible to experience salvation and to walk with Almighty God.

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Throughout the pages of the Old Testament, we see that God is working out His redemption plan. After the sin of Adam and Eve, and the worldwide flood that was an extension of God's judgment on humanity, with the exception of Noah and his family, God appeared to a man named Abram, later to be known as Abraham.  In Genesis 12, we read:

1Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
God did not give up on fallen humanity - He did not completely destroy the work of His creation in the flood, and He desired to choose for Himself a special people.   So, He came to Abraham and demonstrated His leadership in this man's life.  He told Him several things, including that He would make him a great nation and bless him.   

In Genesis 17, God elaborated on that promise and changed Abram's name to Abraham:
4"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.7And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
Galatians 3 provides some explanation for us:6just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."7Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Later in the chapter, we read this:16Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.
That includes you and me. Because of what Jesus did, that everlasting covenant was extended to each of us.  
During the next few weeks, I believe that you will hear quite a bit about a man named Louis Zamperini.  He died in July at age 97, and a piece on The Atlantic website features an interview with him and gives this excellent backstory:

As the world now knows, thanks to author Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini waged one of the most astonishing personal battles in World War II as an Army Air Corpsman. In May 1943, his B-24 crashed into the Pacific. For 47 days, he floated on a raft in the ocean. He was then captured by the Japanese, who held him prisoner until August 1945. These experiences tormented Zamperini’s postwar life, but in 1949 things began to turn around for him. Zamperini forgave the men who held him prisoner, including the sadistic Japanese corporal, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, who was known as the “Bird.”

His story is told in the book by Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.  As the article points out, it has remained on the bestseller lists since it was published in 2010, and in December, a film adaptation, directed by Angelina Jolie, will be released. Also, according to USA Today, a book that was sent to the publisher two days before his death, Don't Give Up, Don't Give In: Lessons From an Extraordinary Life, has been released, co-authored by Zamperini and David Rensin.  The publisher, HarperCollins, says in its synopsis:

In Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In, he offers never-before told tales that embody his simple, yet essential secrets of success: how his relationship with God, his ever-positive attitude, his constant pursuit of accomplishment—and a healthy dose of mischief—have helped him lead a long and fulfilled life, lessons we can all use to transform our own.

One of those components was his faith.  There was a moment in Louis Zamperini's life that completely transformed him - it happened in 1949, at a Billy Graham crusade and he recounted it for The Atlantic:

The one thing he said that shook me up was, “When people come to the end of their rope and there’s nowhere else to turn, they turn to God.” I thought, That’s what I did on the raft. All I did was pray to God, every day. In prison camp, the main prayer was, “Get me home alive, God, and I’ll seek you and serve you.” I came home, got wrapped up in the celebration, and forgot about the hundreds of promises I’d made to God.

He described the change:

I felt this perfect calm, a peace. The Bible calls it the peace that passeth all understanding. I knew then that I was through getting drunk, smoking, and chasing around. I also knew I’d forgiven all my prison guards, including the Bird. Boy, that’s something. So I got up, went home, and that was the first night in four years that I didn’t have a nightmare. And I haven’t had one since.

An encounter - with Almighty God - left Louis Zamperini a changed man.  Now, the power of his story has touched thousands through his books, and hopefully, through the movie.
God came to a man named Abraham and announced his call, not only to him, but to the generations to follow.  And, I think the story can inspire each of us to follow God's call for our own lives.  God selected a special man for his purposes, and we have all benefitted.  And, while the Lord may not appear to us with such a dramatic mission as that of Abraham, or Billy Graham, or Louis Zamperini, He is calling each of us to follow Him in obedience.  Obedience to recognize what Jesus has done for us as part of that spiritual family, following in the footsteps of Abraham.
And, I believe there is a select calling upon each and every one of our lives.  We have to evaluate whether or not we are willing to follow Him and pursue that purpose.  You might say that you're nothing special, but I would beg to differ - in giving your life to Christ and allowing Him to set you on a spiritual adventure, you can realize the incredible blessing of abiding in your Savior and following Him.