Around 4,000 years ago, give or take, a family of nomads . . .

Around 4,000 years ago, give or take, a family of nomads packed up all of their belongings and left Ur of the Chaldees (which, today, would be in southeastern Iraq) and traveled to a place near Haran, Turkey, on the banks of the Balikh River.  The leader of this family was a man named Terah, the father of Abram (later renamed Abraham).  After Terah dies, Abram receives a divine command to pack up all of his belongings once again and move the family even further west.  “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you,” says the Lord.

Now, keep in mind that this move represents far more than just a change of scenery for Abram.  In leaving Haran for Canaan, he is basically saying good-bye to everything he knows and loves—his family and friends, his customs and culture, all of the regularities and rhythms of his life.  Moreover, he is not undertaking this journey as a young man—filled with vim, vigor, and the thrill of adventure—but as someone who has just turned seventy-five.  He has no idea where he is going, or what to expect when he eventually arrives.

In other words, he is moving from what he knows to what he does not know, from what he has to what he does not have.  And let’s face it, most of us would much rather travel in the opposite direction—from unknown to known, from chaos to order, from the strange to the familiar.  But, unfortunately, that’s not the way faith works.

When God invites us to embark upon a journey of faith, we’re not given step-by-step directions.  No GPS is provided.  We’re not told, in advance, where the road will take us, or what we’re likely to see along the way.  We’re not told if the road ahead will be smooth or arduous, straight or winding, unimpaired or filled with detours.  When you get right down to it, we’re not told a blessed thing!

Actually, that’s not quite true, is it?  Abram is told one thing about this journey of faith.  When God says, “Go to the land that I will show you,” that implies that the Lord intends to accompany Abram.  After all, if it’s a land that God will show him, then the Lord will be there to point it out.  And maybe that’s the most important thing to remember about our journeys of faith.  Sure, we’re not given maps, itineraries, or GPS guidance.  We’re not told exactly where we are going, or what we’re likely to encounter along the way.  But we are promised that we won’t have to encounter those things all by ourselves.  God will be with us every step of the way!