Journeys
For some reason (can't imagine what that might be), the image of a journey has been on my mind a lot lately! I've been thinking a lot about the moves I have made as a United Methodist pastor, and the move that is quickly coming up, and how each time it's more difficult to leave behind friends who have become like family.
And then I think about Abraham, the first real "journeyman" in the Bible. Abraham was called to leave behind everything, knowing that those he left behind he would never see again, and follow God wherever he led. God didn't even give Abraham a road map or a clear destination. He just told Abraham to "Go!" And Abraham went.
That's the kind of faith I wish I had. Abraham trusted this God he could not see, this God whom no one before that really knew on a personal level, and he believed that all would be well. He knew, somewhere deep down in his soul, that everything would not be well if he did not go.
I can't imagine the conversation he must have had with his wife once he knew this call was from God. The Bible, mercifully, leaves that story out. Abraham is asking Sarah to leave behind everything she knows, all the relationships she has made, the place she has always known as home, to set out for a place where they know no one and have no guarantee of success or prosperity. No guarantees whatsoever. What did he say to her to convince her to start packing? Or was her faith already deeper than his? Had, perhaps, she known long before this that God's call was coming?
We don't know. All we see is a man who wants desperately to be faithful to this God who called him and told him to "go."
No internet. No Facebook. No visible end to the journey. No cell phones. No way to know whether or not your family that you leave behind is okay. Just go.
And don't look back.
Where does that kind of faith come from? Was it in Abraham all along? Or was this a huge leap of faith? I sometimes wonder if Abraham was the first man God called, or was he just the first who responded? Everything hinges, all of history rests, on the moment when God calls Abraham, and even more on the moment when Abraham responds. Heaven sits silent as they wait to hear the answer. "Abraham, will you trust me? Will you go?"
How long did Abraham hesitate before he said yes? Did he hesitate at all?
I long for that kind of trust. I think I miss God's call more often than I answer it. But, thank God (literally), he doesn't quit calling. He continues to watch for people who are faithful and call to those who are willing. "Go!" "Trust me. Follow me."
"And watch what I can do with a person whose heart is surrendered to me."
And then I think about Abraham, the first real "journeyman" in the Bible. Abraham was called to leave behind everything, knowing that those he left behind he would never see again, and follow God wherever he led. God didn't even give Abraham a road map or a clear destination. He just told Abraham to "Go!" And Abraham went.
That's the kind of faith I wish I had. Abraham trusted this God he could not see, this God whom no one before that really knew on a personal level, and he believed that all would be well. He knew, somewhere deep down in his soul, that everything would not be well if he did not go.
I can't imagine the conversation he must have had with his wife once he knew this call was from God. The Bible, mercifully, leaves that story out. Abraham is asking Sarah to leave behind everything she knows, all the relationships she has made, the place she has always known as home, to set out for a place where they know no one and have no guarantee of success or prosperity. No guarantees whatsoever. What did he say to her to convince her to start packing? Or was her faith already deeper than his? Had, perhaps, she known long before this that God's call was coming?
We don't know. All we see is a man who wants desperately to be faithful to this God who called him and told him to "go."
No internet. No Facebook. No visible end to the journey. No cell phones. No way to know whether or not your family that you leave behind is okay. Just go.
And don't look back.
Where does that kind of faith come from? Was it in Abraham all along? Or was this a huge leap of faith? I sometimes wonder if Abraham was the first man God called, or was he just the first who responded? Everything hinges, all of history rests, on the moment when God calls Abraham, and even more on the moment when Abraham responds. Heaven sits silent as they wait to hear the answer. "Abraham, will you trust me? Will you go?"
How long did Abraham hesitate before he said yes? Did he hesitate at all?
I long for that kind of trust. I think I miss God's call more often than I answer it. But, thank God (literally), he doesn't quit calling. He continues to watch for people who are faithful and call to those who are willing. "Go!" "Trust me. Follow me."
"And watch what I can do with a person whose heart is surrendered to me."
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