Prodigal: So tell me the plan of the trip again?
Me: You want to know all the details.
Prodigal: Yes, I want all the details.
Me: Sometimes God doesn’t tell you everything and you have to have faith.
This is from the book Abraham by Charles Swindoll
Think of all that Abraham didn’t have. No precise destination, no map or GPS, no travel agency, no AAA membership, no insurance, and no written contract promising safety. He had no security team–and as a wealthy man, he could have easily been robbed. No hotel accommodations. No prayer support from home; everyone he knew worshiped idols. It was a calling most of us would have extreme difficulty following. Some wouldn’t even consider it. If God should command us to go somewhere far from home, we at least want a map. But God responds, “No, I want to cultivate your faith in Me, so I’m holding back all the details. You won’t know ahead of time what you’re going to encounter, so you’ll have to stay close to Me.”
Great rewards await if you obey without knowing all the details. It’s a principle God wants each of His followers to experience. Learning to trust Him is like making a journey step after step. Faith builds upon faith. When we trust, we receive unexpected blessings. This strengthens our confidence and inspires us to trust God again as we take another step. It isn’t complicated, but it goes against our nature. Regrettably, faith is a hypothetical concept for most. The great majority of people never experience the joys of this faith journey because they won’t take the first step without knowing the precise destination. But if we know the destination and have all the details, we don’t need faith, and we will never experience its rewards. (Read that last sentence again.)
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Lamentations 3:57
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
