Day 12

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”  — GENESIS 12:1

Classic wisdom today tells us always to start with the end in mind.  But in our dealings with God, there are many times we do not know what the end is going to be. God doesn’t give us those details, but He does put a compass in our hearts that says, “This is the direction. Go in it.” 

 The issue in Christian living and guidance is never about where we are going, but WHO we are going there with. When Jesus called six of His twelve disciples, He used just two words to call them: “Follow me”. It is intriguing that no one asked Him where they were going – for that was not the issue.  The issue was not where they were going, but who they were going with. The call of Jesus is first and foremost to Himself. 

 Abraham got up and left, not knowing where he was going. In our 21st century thinking, that would be unacceptably high risk. We want everything neatly lined up; the when, the what, the where and the how, but when we are called by God, those details become His business, and ours is to do what He has told us, however limited His instructions. Abram was faced with a choice; stay with the familiar or venture into the unknown with God. In the Christian life, we are all called to make similar choices.

Our relationship with God is a journey with its peaks and valleys, high moments and low moments, and the movement is not always upwards, for we learn important things in the hard times. We usually gain wisdom and insights when we look in retrospect rather than at the time or in advance, and it’s then we see what God has been doing.

We may not have a road map, but we place our trust in a God who is totally trustworthy. When He places a compass in our hearts to give us direction, it isn’t the ‘where’, ‘when’ or ‘how’, but the “Who” we are going with that is our security. He knows the end from the beginning, and has undertaken to direct our paths to the measure we acknowledge Him in all our ways. Trust him for that, no matter what you can or cannot see at the moment. 

PRAYER: Dear Father, I ask that my faith in You become deeper and stronger, allowing me to venture out in whatever direction You have called me. I want to be like Abraham, and by faith and trust in You alone, go with You wherever You lead me.  Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: When God gives me a sense of direction…. that compass in my heart, do I step out into the unknown, trusting God to bring His will to pass? The measure of our obedience is the measure of our trust.