In Genesis 12:1,"The Lord said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and to the land I will show you.' '...So Abram went, as the Lord told him...' (verse 4). This is a great example of following God with "blind faith" -- not an easy task. Moses, too, with all his fears and doubts chose to follow God's call to lead his people "out of that land (Egypt) into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey...(Exodus 3:8). Both men are mentioned in Hebrews 11, the chapter that speaks of those who were commended for their faith, and both men were called to set off on a journey, not knowing where it would take them, only knowing that God was with them.
We, too, need to hold firm to our faith when we are called to step into the unknown. This month I learned of two more close friends walking the path of a cancer diagnosis. Fortunately both of them have a strong faith to carry them along. To one extent or another each of them is setting off on an uncertain journey, but they both know that God is with them.
In deep contrast, this week I saw two signs in front of the same business that made me chuckle with their representation of the uncertainties of this world. The first sign read, "Sorry, We Are Closed" and just 30 feet was another sign which read, "Yes, We Are Open." The world's view gives a fifty-fifty chance of a desired out come.
However, God is an unknown that is known because we know his character. "God is love." (1John 4:16). We are told to "Trust in the Lord with all your hearts and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). And we can make this choice because "...we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). When the waves come crashing in and we step into the unknown, we can remind ourselves of Isaiah's words in, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...(43:2)." Emmanuel, God with us, that's the bottom line.