Genesis 22:4-8
When I take a vacation, I like to go to places I’ve visited before. Why? I already know the travel route, places I like to stop for meals, where I’ll stay, and favorite haunts at the vacation site. In this area, I’m not into new adventures. I want everything to be familiar and laid out in advance.
My approach works well enough with regard to vacations. When it comes to following God’s leadership, though, I’ve learned I must be open to new experiences and the unexpected. I still find doing so difficult. On the occasions when I am afraid to start yet another journey with God, I remember what a friend once told me: “When you’re troubled over something God asks you to do, lean into your previous experience with God.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Just this,” she answered. “When God points me in a direction and tells me to start walking, I usually don’t know the destination, let alone how things will work out once I get there. So I admit that sometimes I freeze up. Unanswered questions will stop me in my tracks. But when I’m at my best, I keep walking anyway. I keep walking because I remember other journeys with God. I recall how confused I felt and how faithful God proved to be at the journey’s end. And, so, I keep on walking.”
She paused for a moment, looked me in the eye, and said, “You might want to try that yourself.”
Consider
Do I insist on knowing all the answers before I will take a journey with God? Why?
Pray
Lord, help me to start walking with you today and to keep on walking. Amen.