“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)
You may note that the following story is one of my personal favorites. I have repeated it several times in the Courage Today devotionals. It is amazing to me that I am repeatedly reminded of it at times when I need it most. I offer it again today to remind us of our continuing, foggy walk of faith.
One Friday evening, in 1985, as we traveled to attend a ministers’ conference, Bobbie and I encountered a dense fog. The winding road descended on the west side of the Canadian Rockies, along the Frazier Valley. Visibility was reduced to the front of our automobile and without a guardrail, real danger extended 1000 feet into the Frazier River below.
We had never been to Vancouver, BC and had never traveled this road. And to make things worse, we couldn’t see the road in front of us. In a true sense, we didn’t know where we were going. We simply had to pray for the Lord’s protection and follow the directions we were given. When thinking of this experience, my mind is always directed to Abraham’s story and today’s passage.
Abraham went without knowing. That is the essence of faith and obedience; not knowing but obeying anyway; not seeing but believing just the same. Walking by faith is very similar to driving in an impenetrable fog. We can’t see clearly where we are going but we know we simply need to stay on the road. We know that by staying on the road we will reach our final destination.
We are confident that as we follow God’s directions, we will most certainly arrive in his promised land and be blessed with milk and honey.
Dear Father, thank you for walking with us. O Lord, grant us the confidence and the fortitude to truly live a life of faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today by the gift of faith and your hope in God’s promises,