2 Corinthians 5:7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Have you ever thought that it would be great if God would provide you with a detailed 20 year plan? Okay, maybe the non-planners out there don’t find that all too exciting, but for those of us who love a good plan, this seems like a wonderful thing!
While I have often thought how great it would be if God would provide me with a detailed map for my life with step by step instructions, the more I have come to know Him the more I understand that for many reasons He just doesn’t work that way. Instead, God asks us to walk by faith rather than sight.
When reading about God’s call on Abraham’s life, I am repeatedly struck by two things; how lacking God’s instructions were, and how quickly Abraham obeyed!
As a quick refresh, Genesis 12:1-4 says:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
Okay, so in verse one God tells Abraham to go to the “land I will show you” …pretty vague if you ask me… and in verse four Abraham went. Impressive.
I don’t know about you, but if I were Abraham I’m guessing I would have had a laundry list of questions waiting for God before my feet started to move. Like, where exactly is this land? How many camels should I take? Will my kids have great educational and athletic opportunities there? Is there good food and shopping nearby? Clearly only the important things…
However, this is not what Abraham did. God told him to go and he went. I guess this is why we read about Abraham in Hebrews 11, the chapter often referred to as the Hall of Faith. In Hebrews 11:8 the author says, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
I don’t know about you, but I want to take a lesson from Abraham here and choose to obey immediately when God provides me with any kind of direction rather than playing 20 Questions. Perhaps one day those who come after me will be able to say, “By faith Lynne, …..” How about you? How would you like someone to finish that statement with your name in it? As someone once said, “A thousand people wait on the other side of your obedience.”
If God has already provided you with direction, stop looking for a new answer. Instead, like Abraham, choose to obey. You never know what great adventure God might have in store for you if you simply start walking by faith.
