The walk of faith consists of going...not knowing.
How secure are the tent pegs in my life? How deep are they in the ground? How easy is it for me to move? Even as i think of building a pergola and working in the yard and doing something I am not comfortable doing, my problem is often that I am so firmly rooted in other things - in other ways of living, in my habits and my normal motions of life. I default into saying I'm a number guy not a construction worker, but life gets more of a routine.
2 And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7 ‘And whatever nation to which they will be in bondage I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’
Abraham left where he was, with no promise of anything good, for himself, for his descendants - for 400 years. He was comfortable where he was - in Ur - his birthplace and Sarai’s. But God said to leave. And he left. God said something to him - and he listened. And he did it.
Listening to God when he speaks to me is something I need to do. The Holy Spirit, I know, is speaking to me at many times. I need to listen when he speaks. My problem is I start thinking.
As i go back and look at the text from Genesis, that the words of Acts were based upon, what stands out to me is that God’s leading or God’s words to Abram were not always immediate. In Chapter 12, he leaves Ur with the promise: I will bless you and I will give you much. Providence came to Abraham but so did unrest, so did problems. He went, but there was still a lot of 'not knowing.' There were promises, but not always the connecting of dots. But Abraham kept going forward and God kept speaking to him. But to go so far and then to be told that Abraham’s descendants would be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years.
I Peter 2:11 - Beloved, I urge you as aliens (pilgrims KJV) and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Use a concordance to come up with more references of these two words thinking about the verses and their meanings.
Exodus 18:3 - Moses said, “I have been an alien (sojourner NAS) in a strange land.”
Deuteronomy 14:21 - Alien is someone that is not part of the chosen people.
Job 19:15 - Job sees himself as an alien in contrast to those in his household.
Ps 69:8 - The Psalmist feels like an outcast
Heb 11:13 - Those who died in faith, when the lived on the earth, they were seen as aliens and strangers
Abraham would have identified with these words. The follower of God is seen as a stranger or alien from the rest that are in society. A person that listens to God is different. In a way, we as Christians are aliens to those around us.
Do I seek God’s will or my own? - I live in comfort. I am in a season now of serving my dad and my wife while I continue to serve God in ministry. Overall, these lines are blurry and it is hard for me to see a difference. But, i think overall i am serving God as his child. I'm active with GMO, reaching out to Scott D and responsive to friends. Sure, I'd love to get back to the mall with Bobby. And perhaps take on another guy that Doug might have at Next Steps.
Am I as willing to stay as I am to leave? - I don’t feel right of leaving, but I know Pamela would like to one day. I feel obligated now to stay, to support my dad. I don’t feel how leaving is an option, albeit a very selfish one. But overall, this is hard. I enjoy the conversations with the folks in Africa. Right now, that is the only slight pull I have. Yet, I like my status of communicating with them. With everyone I talk to, sure there is the thought that maybe I could accomplish more face to face, but God is in control as well.
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