From Going to Showing: Relinquishing Control of the Comfortable

I am a recovering control freak. If I have a task to complete, I will plan and create to-do lists including contingency plans for ‘what ifs’. I will then review and revise those plans, making sure every detail is organized and the destination is set before taking the first step toward putting the plan in motion.

It’s no wonder my heart races as I read Genesis 12:1, when the Lord said to Abraham, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (NIV). If God issued that charge to me, I would have so many questions. Where am I going? What should I pack? How long will it take to get there? My faith would have been swiftly and fully overshadowed by my need to know the details.

Apparently, Abraham didn’t share my craving for control. Instead, “Abram went, as the LORD had told him” (12:4, NIV). No discussion. No delay. No details. God spoke and Abraham went.

God’s Word doesn’t reveal how long after Abraham got going, he was shown where he was headed. It doesn’t disclose how Abraham felt between the ‘going’ and the ‘showing’. We just know he obeyed and is celebrated as a great father of the faith.

Would we embark on a journey without knowing the destination? Would we step over the side of a boat to defy nature and walk on water? We often desire to increase our faith but cringe at the possible circumstances that would require our faith to be stretched. Let’s commit to relinquishing control of the comfortable to grow our faith and experience a deeper encounter with our Lord.