Places You'll Go

Waiting at the airport for our flight to Istanbul, I had little idea of what awaited me.  Although Mr. Bill had talked about growing up near the city as a boy, I did not imagine the thrill of sailing the Bosporus and seeing Ottoman Empire walls, gazing at the architectural wonders of St. Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and the archaeological discoveries of the City of Ephesus.  Makes me want to get the pictures out, Mr. Bill!  I can hear him groaning already!

What did Abraham imagine when God told him to “go to a land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)  A command to go – no address, no directions, no destination, no roadmap, no atlas, no GPS.  How many of us would leave home with so little to go on?  Surely the journey sounded ominous but think about what Abraham would have missed except for his faith and obedience!  While Dr. Seuss’s words may inspire us, they well describe the hindrance to simple faith in God:  “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”  (Oh! The Places You’ll Go!)  The Wisdom of Proverbs 16:9 is quite different, however: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  The Hebrew word for “land” in Genesis 12:1 refers to a country or territory, but let me suggest the “land of joy” we experience when completely surrendered to Almighty God is beyond compare!   The promise God gave Abraham far exceeded mere geography; we know it today in the Person of Jesus Christ, our Inheritance and Hope of Glory! (Colossians 1:12-14)  The more we trust and obey, the sweeter the journey.  Want to go places?  Make each step one of simple faith in God, and oh the places you’ll go!