Follow God’s Direction
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’ ”
Genesis introduces us to the father of the three largest monotheistic religions at the beginning of chapter twelve. The main character is Abram before God enhanced his name. Seemingly out of the blue, God tells this unsuspecting guy to inform his wife to gather his belongings and hit the road. God doesn’t even tell him whether he will go to Egypt, Babylon, or Cleveland, Ohio. Abram simply packs up, gets moving, and trusts God along his life’s journey.
The cool part of this reading is that we already know the outcome. We know Abram becomes Abraham. We learn that Abram is married to Sarai, who becomes Sarah. We know he has two sons with two different women, which produces turmoil and another branch on the family tree. We learn that God fulfills his promise to have as many descendants as stars in the sky.
We are also called to take part in our journey with God. Like Abram, we are not given a road map or Apple Navigation for our trip. When Jill and I were married in Florida, we would never guess we’d spend almost our married lives in Iowa. With our daughter Hannah settling down with her husband in Omaha, I never thought I would ever retire and someday be buried in Nebraska. This reality shows that God has a wicked sense of humor.
None of us know the journey God has planned for each of us. There will be ups and downs, surprises, and fulfillment. Inviting our tour guide along for the ride is the key to a great ride through life. Inviting God along for the ride will not make the journey effortless, but it will make it easier to handle and significantly more fun and fulfilling. In prayer today, invite God on this life journey of yours. There will be great joy and strength in the journey when you invite God along for the ride!
