Monday, September 22, 2008

"Positioning You"

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrew 11:8

We always marvel at the faith that Abraham had in God. Can you imagine what it was like to pack up everything he had and leave his home, his family, his job, his familiar surroundings, all his friends just because God told him to do so. And if that wasn't a great enough act of faith, God didn't even tell him where he was going. God said to leave but He didn't say where to go! While I marvel at his trust in God to just "go", I have missed another great truth in this verse.

Read the verse again, did you hear what it says? The place that God was sending him to was the place that he was going to receive for an inheritance. Abraham did not know that at the time. He didn't have a clue that where God was leading him was going to become his. God was positioning him for a blessing, he was positioning him to step into his destiny by telling him to leave the place he was.

What would have happened if Abraham had been like some of us? What if he had argued with God? What if he had decided that God was being unreasonable not to tell him up front where to go? What if he hadn't gone because God wouldn't tell him "why"? What if he had decided not to go until God gave him all the details? What if he had disobeyed God? What if he had reasoned it out as to why he couldn't go? If Abraham had not gone look at what he would have missed. Look at the plan of God that he would have forfeited.

Trusting and obeying God is a whole different story when he spells everything out for you and gives you every little detail- the what and the why. I wonder if that's really faith? If we had been in Abraham's position we would have had no reservations in going if God had told us that the place He was sending us was going to belong to us. But when He doesn't tell us about the blessing or the reward that's attached to what He tells us to do, would we be as willing to go, would we be reluctant or would we be disobedient?

Have a great day. When God tells you to do something, you may not understand it, but it just might be that He is positioning you for something greater.

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