“Go … to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 (NIV)
In the summer of 1988, my wife Carol and I prepared to make the 2200-mile move from Seattle to Holland, Michigan, where she would begin her new job as an assistant professor at Hope College. We packed up the U-Haul, our Datsun station wagon, and our two young sons, and headed east. After several days of driving, we finally arrived. Carol had been there previously for interviews, but this was my first time in Holland.
As we drove down the main drag to the house we were renting, I thought about Abraham and how he must have felt to be going somewhere he’d never been. Many questions. Definitely a lot of anxiety. Wondering what God had in mind for me in this major life transition.
As I’ve reflected on that experience, I think the Christian life is often like that. God calls us to do something we’ve never done before, saying to us, “Go!” “Do this!” “Do that!” And that can be scary! But God also says, “I will show you.” “I will be with you.” Whenever God calls us to do something, we can know that he will always be with us and lead the way. Our job is just to get moving!
Prayer: Loving and Almighty God, thank you for never asking me to do anything without also promising to be with me and to lead me. Help me to believe that and to always do what you want me to do. Amen
Rev. Steve Simon