Faith Goes Where God Directs

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents … for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10).

How would you feel if God told you to leave behind almost everything you’ve ever known and move to a place you’ve never even seen? Some 4,000 years ago, that’s exactly what God told Abraham. “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Most of us would probably find this quite difficult. But Abraham obeyed, “…and he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

Abraham lived as a nomadic herdsman in the land of Canaan. He earned the respect of the Canaanite people (cf. Genesis 23), but he recognized himself as a stranger among them. Yet Abraham was content with alien status. He trusted in God’s promise to give him the land (Genesis 13:14f) even though he did not live to see that promise’s ultimate fulfillment. He did so because he recognized that his very life on earth was also a sojourn in a foreign land. “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own … But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

Abraham went where God directed, even when it meant personal sacrifice. So do all those who in Christ are “Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Think of what Paul, a prominent Pharisee and persecutor of the church, had to give up when he became a Christian. Yet he wrote, “…whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7). Many have left behind all they ever knew in order to follow Christ. Some have given up careers, long-held habits and beliefs, and even family relationships, “in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus” (verse 8).

Can I just as willingly let God lead me? By faith, I can. Faith recognizes that I, like Abraham, am a stranger and alien in this world (1 Peter 2:11). My citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and so my heart and mind are set on things above (Colossians 3:2).

Remembering our true home brings a refreshing perspective on life. Every earthly decision becomes simpler when viewed spiritually. Will we go where God directs? That is, will we base our choices on God’s will or our own wants? Whether we are choosing a career or a set of clothes, a congregation or a marriage partner, we should always ask, “Which choice will get me where God wants me to go?”

Like Abraham, choosing God’s way may involve sacrifices. But we’re doing it to get home! Faith goes where God sends, knowing that the destination is heaven. “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16).