One of my new songs is called “I Will Go”, and I wrote it as I was reflecting on the life of Abram. I was thinking about the way God called him to leave everything he had known, and to set out on a journey towards what God had in store for him. God asked him to uproot himself from his land, his people, his home: everything that Abram had as a sense of security and comfort in his life. But God did not ask these things of him without presenting an incredible promise; He was asking Abram to exchange all that he could see for all that he hadn’t yet seen or even imagined for himself. God was saying, “if you step out of what is comfortable and trust me, I will do more with your life than you could ever do alone.”
But this stepping out had to take place first; the emptying before the refilling.
I was thinking about what it must have been like on the road, maybe in those first few days after leaving all he’d ever known. The reality starts to sink in. Everything he owns on the backs of a couple of camels. Remembering the voices of people back at home who thought he was foolish for leaving the safety of the known for the uncharted territory of a walk of faith.
“Okay, so you heard God talk to you, Abe, but don’t make any rash decisions.”
“What’s your 5 year plan? What’s this going to do to your career?”
God hadn’t told him exactly where this was going. He had just told him to go. He had just told him that if he went He would, “turn him into a great nation,” and “bless him,” and “make his name great,” and that “in him all the families of the earth will be blessed.” And Abram took God at His word. But it wasn’t until Abram had taken the step of obedience and set out on the road that God said, “this is it. This is the land I will give to your children.” God’s call in our lives becomes more specific as we go, and as we show ourselves faithful to take steps of obedience, God reveals the bigger picture one piece at a time.
Abram’s story is my story. As I started to write a song about this great exchange I found myself using imagery that reflected my own journey of letting go of what I knew so that God could take me on an adventure into the unknown.
Abram’s story may well be your story. That is the beauty of the timeless principles that God reveals in His Word. It was true for Abram in 1850 BCE and it is true for us today in 2009. It will look different for each person, but it is always true that an adventurous and passionate walk with God will require an exchange of what I can see for what God has yet to bring into my life.
May we become those who are determined to go when God says, “Go.” Because if we will walk in that kind of surrender, we will be used by God in greater ways than we can imagine!
ah, yes: ‘a land you know not of’….sometimes geographical, sometimes Spirit Life….
“we will be used by God in greater ways than we can imagine!” or—-know God in ways we never imagined –because of obedience to His call ‘to go’.
we love sharing the journey with you….
beautiful. yes – that is my story too. thanks for posting this.
blessings,
craig
Follow the proper guidance when and where it sends you. But remember to be honest with yourself about how much of the guidance is want and how much is surrendering.
it’s true.. sometimes people put the language, “God told me to” on something in order to justify it. It’s a hard thing to figure out: how much of my direction is divine and how much is just me. But I don’t think that the guidance of God always leads us away from what we would want…I think we have certain desires because they are part of what God put in us according to what He’s going to do with our lives. But I agree that those ‘wants’ must be completely surrendered in order to live lives that are totally about Him and not about us.
also… sometimes, God’s “GO” doesn’t mean picking up and moving somewhere new… sometimes, and most recently in my life, God’s “GO” can mean, “stay”. But it’s the principle of believing God, trusting His promises, in the midst of stepping into new territory, whether it be geographical or otherwise.
“how much of my direction is divine and how much is just me.”
How much does that honestly matter? And how much do you expect to know before hand? Maybe you should do one or the other in faith. I can’t say because I’m not you and my opinion shouldn’t matter. All you can do is ask and see what you’re told and what you’re not told.
Faith is the key as always. Some of the logical direction and “wants” could also be signs for you to follow as well.