Trusting God in His word
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Genesis 12:1-4
When God was building a nation to call His own and to be used for His purposes, He called Abram. The nation that will be established would be instrumental in blessing the nations around her. Yet, from the text the shocking immensity of God’s command and the agonizing nature of Abram’s decision are indicated by the ascending order of Abram’s personal sacrifice. He has to leave his country, leave his people, and leave his father’s household, that means his nuclear family. He was not told where he will go and was not given the details how he will survive. God was asking him to believe and obey the bare word of God. This is how our Lord Jesus calls us. He does not guarantee the future or even tell us what it will be like. He does promise that we have a great future with Him for eternity; which is the ultimate fulfillment of His promise. He does promise that He will cleanse and forgive us from our sin. He promised that He will not leave us and that His peace will always be in us. He does promise that what He wants for us is His ultimate best for He knows what is good for us. But He did not promise that we will have a smooth sailing life on this earth. He does not guarantee that all our problems while here on this earth will be solved. If these are the only reasons why you came to Him and you were looking for these up-front promises you will be in for a great surprise and disappointment because you will not get them all. Just like Abraham, all He wants from you is to trust Him in His word. This call to forsake all is very much like the call of the gospel. Jesus said, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35). The salvation we received by believing the message of the gospel calls us to rest all our hope on the word of Christ, and nothing else! This is the pattern that you could see from the Bible. God called ordinary people for specific assignment that they could not have thought for themselves. All that God sees is their hearts that are willing to trust and to follow His leading. You might be noticing that God is leading you to do something new in your life. When you discover that He is prompting you to take action so your life could be a blessing to others, do not hesitate to follow. Do not make excuses instead trust His plan and continue to grow in your intimacy with Him. Walk closely with God and do not let the busyness of life prevent you from experiencing the blessings because you are not willing to trust Him. Once you open up yourself to His working and His leading, He will do something through you that is beyond your imagination. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
Blessings,
