“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). We learn from Genesis 12:4 that Abram was 75-years-old when he went on a journey of faith. He went from Haran to the land of Canaan, from a land he knew to a land he did not know, from what was familiar to what was unfamiliar. God had asked him, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s house and go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). God asked, he went: that is faith. Abram’s faith was a faith ready to respond to the Lord’s will, despite the unknown.
If faith can see every step of the way, it is not really faith. So, let us ask a question: “What does this new year hold for you?” Health or sickness? Financial stability or financial ruin? Marriage or becoming a widow or widower? Stronger marriage or the breakup of a marriage? A loved one obeying the Gospel or leaving the Lord? The best year ever at school or work or the worst ever?
The fact is, you do not know exactly what the new year holds, but you do know who holds the future, don’t you? Perhaps we need to be more like Abram: He did not know where his future was going to be exactly, but he did know who held the future, and therefore, he put his trust in God. We do not know what 2012 holds for us. Yet, if someone asks us, “Where are you going this year?” we, like Abram, could respond, “I am not sure exactly where, but I do know that I will go with the Lord and that He will go with me.”
This new year will be a journey of faith as we strive to become more like Jesus in seeking the lost, living out the Gospel and making God our focus. Be sure that your journey of faith always includes the Lord as your companion, and you look to Him for guidance and direction. No matter what this new year may bring, bad or good, make all of your journey on the basis of faith, and He will get you to your destination safely.
