One of my favorite movies is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which is the story of Indiana (played by Harrison Ford), an adventurer who is seeking the holy grail i.e., cup of Christ, which in the movie story, would give unto the person, who drinks from it, eternal youth. The movie is certainly a dramatic thriller, and one scene that left an indelible imprint in my mind, since I saw it as a child, is toward the end of the movie, where Indiana is faced with what would seem like an impossible situation. In order to get to the holy grail, Indiana comes to a cliff with a chasm so wide that no human can possibly jump it, to get to the other side, while his father (played by Sean Connery) lies dying from being shot. Indiana resorts to the grail book with decipherable clues and finds that in order for him to successfully cross this chasm, he would need to follow the clue “Only in the leap from the lion’s head will he prove his worth.” Indiana then tells himself, “Impossible, nobody can jump this.” while his dying father keeps muttering “You must believe, boy, you must believe.” Finally, Indiana realizes that this is a test of his faith … and a leap of faith is necessary. He takes the step out of the safety of the cliff end where he is standing and just as he is about to fall, he lands on a perfectly camouflaged rock bridge, that he uses to cross over.

Genesis 12:4 reads “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” Why did Abram depart from the land of Haran at the age of seventy five? Because, God told him to do so. Where was Abram going to go? Where God was going to show him. This speaks of Abram’s leap of faith; a leap into the safety and surety of God’s hand who was going to guide him. Abram had to depart … meaning he had to take steps out of the land where his father Terah had settled and died, which is Haran, to go where God was taking him.

Points to ponder:
Remember, faith without action (steps) is dead. When God is asking us to do something, we need to take a step of faith, out of the place where we have settled into the surety and safety of God’s hands. We need to depart, i.e., leave with a leap of faith, just as Abram did. Only in the leap into the Lion of Judah’s hand will we prove our worth.

Genesis 12:4 (KJV)
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.