All Families Go Dey Blessed

One old man dey stand for di edge of one city, e dey look di open road. E no know where di road dey go. But God don talk to am, and e dey go.

Im name na Abram, and later God go change im name to Abraham. E dey live for Haran, one busy trading town for di north, far from di land wey we dey call Israel today. Im family come there from Ur, for di south, near di big rivers. Abram don reach seventy-five years. E get money, with sheep, cows and servants. But e get one big sorrow. Im wife Sarai no get pikin. For di old world, your family na your future: your name, your land, your hope. And Abram no get son wey go carry any of dem go front. Then one day, di God wey make heaven and earth talk to am.

God talk: comot. Comot from your country, from your relatives and from your papa house, and go di land wey I go show you. See wetin God no talk. E no give map, or di name of di place. Just go. And then di promises come. “I go make you one great nation. I go bless you and make your name great. You go be blessing.” God continue. “I go bless di people wey bless you, and I go curse di one wey curse you. All di families of di earth go dey blessed through you.” All di families of di earth. No be only Abram family. No be only one nation. Every family, every people, every language, everywhere. Dem tell one old man wey no get pikin say di whole world go dey blessed through im children.

So Abram go, as di Lord tell am. Sarai follow am, and im nephew Lot, with all dia animals and servants. Dem travel go south, hundreds of miles, enter di land of Canaan. Imagine di long line of camels and donkeys as dem dey waka slowly, di dust, di tents wey dem dey pitch every night under di stars. When dem reach one place wey dem dey call Shechem, God talk again. “I go give dis land to your offspring.” Abram build altar there to worship. E still no get pikin. E still no get land. But e trust di promise, and e continue to waka.

Many years pass. God keep im word, and Abraham and Sarah finally get one son, Isaac, wey dem born when dem don old well-well. Then di hardest day of Abraham life come, for one mountain wey dem dey call Moriah, one story wey we go hear next time. And when dat day finish, di angel of di Lord call Abraham from heaven and e repeat di big promise, stronger pass before. “I go bless you well-well, and I go multiply your offspring like di stars of heaven, and like di sand wey dey for sea side. Through your offspring, all di nations of di earth go dey blessed, because you don obey my voice.” Stars wey you no fit count. Sand wey you no fit count. And through one family, blessing for everybody.

Haran na real place, and im name don last for about four thousand years. Old documents from di city of Mari, wey dem write for clay tablets for di eighteenth century before Christ, mention am as important town for di trade routes of northern Mesopotamia. Im ruins, wey dem still dey call Harran, dey for southeastern Turkey, near di border with Syria. Abram commot from one town wey dey for one busy junction of di old world.

All families go dey blessed. You go find am for Genesis chapter twelve, verse one reach three, and chapter twenty-two, verse fifteen reach eighteen. Di New Testament start by calling Jesus di son of Abraham, di pikin wey God blessing go use reach every nation. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If God blessing na for every family for di earth, who you fit share am with today?