Trusting God’s call on your life can fill you with a lot of uncertainty, especially when it seems to be a deviation from where you thought you were supposed to be. When God calls, He doesn’t always give the details. Following God is always taking a bit of a leap of faith, even when you believe you have heard Him clearly.
Can you imagine Noah’s thoughts when God tells him to build a great, big boat? “You want me to do what?!”
So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
“Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.
Genesis 6:13-14, NLT
We don’t really know Noah’s thoughts in those moments, but we do know his reaction.
Abraham had to be thinking he had heard the Lord wrong when God told him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. I can imagine him trying to clean that proverbial wax out of his ears. “Excuse me, Lord. Surely, I didn’t quite hear you correctly.”
Again, we don’t know Abraham’s thoughts, but we do know his reaction.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go tot he region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac…”
Genesis 22:2-3
Despite any questions he may have had concerning this call from the Lord, Abraham packed up and headed out to do just as the Lord commanded.
Even as Abraham is preparing the altar, I have to imagine he had all kinds of questions going through his head. The same questions we may have going through our own heads when we hear God’s call on our own lives. However, he never stops to ponder those questions intently, he just continues to move forward as God has instructed him to do.
Abraham’s story also reminds me of another story which occurred a few hundred years later. The story of an unwed teenage girl visited by an angel of the Lord. The angel describes an unimaginable event, one that could mean a devastating outcome for her within society. And yet, she simply says:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38, NIV)
When I think about following God’s calling in my life, I want to be like Noah and Abraham and Mary. I want to be like those who have gone before me, trusting God’s call and simply saying “Ok, Lord.” And yet, sometimes I feel a little more like Jonah. I’ll get there eventually, but I might make a detour along the way to try to get out of it.
I believe God gave me a vision of the new calling He has for our family. A vision that, while exciting, comes with a lot of uncertainity, a lot of hard work, and a lot of trusting in the unknown to come. While I cannot share our plans with you yet, I can say we have already seen God at work preparing the way for what He has called us to do.
Right now, I simply pray for a little more Mary – and a little less of Jonah.
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The Lord Spoke but did not Explain
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