by Outreach Of Hope
Genesis 12:1 When God gives us direction He often gives us the information we need to go in that direction one step at a time. We prefer that the whole journey be mapped out, in advance. God only told Abraham to leave. He didn't tell him where he was going, only that it would be a "land I will show you." God gave me a real life object lesson about this concept. As a church camp counselor, I had the privilege of watching kids have the time of their life and draw closer to God, all in one week! But every day the same problem emerged. Instead of just relaxing and enjoying the activity at hand, whether it was swimming, painting, canoeing - it didn't matter - one by one the kids would come up to me with a worried expression followed quickly by worried words. "What are we doing next?" "When will we get to eat?" At first I understood their uncertainty. They weren't used to camp schedule. They didn't know that they would get more food than they could imagine. They hadn't "settled in." But after several days I began to get frustrated. Their continual obsession with "what's coming next?" was robbing them of the joy of the present moment, the thrill of the activity in which we were presently engaged. Had they missed a meal yet? No! Had they experienced a single moment of boredom? No! Hadn't we convinced them that they could trust us to meet their basic needs and provide plenty of action, excitement and challenge? That's when I heard the Lord speak clearly to my heart. "You're just like them. Have you ever missed a meal? Have I ever been unfaithful to you?" With great sadness and humility, I realized that I too was missing much of the joy and peace God had planned for me by my continual obsession with what He was up to, where He was leading me. God told Abraham "to go to the land I will show you." No map, compass, itinerary or schedule. Just a promise, "I will show you." God can be trusted. He has never broken a promise yet.
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