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Trusting in God’s Leading
“The Lord had said the Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So, Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” Genesis 12:1-5 (NIV)
In January of this year, I was called to be the pastor of American Baptist Church in Fort Collins. This was an answer to prayer; both the church and I felt the leading of God’s Spirit to this community and this church. In a way, our family felt a like Abram called to leave the comforts of Haran and journey to a place that God would show him. Since God was leading us on this journey, I figured that God would have our house sold in a couple of weeks. After all, God knew the desire of our hearts to be in Colorado and God knew that we needed to sell our house quickly in order to make a smooth transition to Colorado (or so we thought!)
A few months have now passed with varying levels of interest in our house in Missouri. Still no firm contract, though! Our family has made the move to Fort Collins and we are beginning to feel like real Colorado residents. We seem to be fitting in, not at all daunted by the horror stories that we would spend at least half a day to get our new licenses or new car tags at the Colorado License Bureau. As we have settled into Colorado life, we have also tried to keep our spirits high and lean on God’s understanding for the sale of our out-of-state home.
That thought brings me back to the example of Abram. As I review his journey from Haran to Canaan, I see that Abram did not have an easy time following God’s leading in his life. He was called to obey the command of God, and obey he did. He seemingly packed up his belongings rather quickly and set out as God led him. But throughout his journey, he faced danger, famine and war, among other difficulties, some at his own doing! Genesis 12 through 22 records some of those situations. In those difficult situations, Abram might have questioned God’s will for him. However, amid the trials Abram was following God’s lead, and during his journey he encountered God and was blessed by God in many ways. He worshiped God, built altars to God, and some twenty-five years after God called Abram to leave Haran, Abraham and Sarah welcomed their son, Isaac, into the world as a fulfillment of God’s promise to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. If Abram had thought that following God’s will would be simple and straightforward, he surely would have headed back home when the troubles started. But, he would have missed the tremendous blessings of serving the Lord.
I don’t know why our house in Missouri has not sold and I believe we have done just about everything possible to sell it. Perhaps the problem lies in the glut of new housing there or in the fact that the real estate market is the worst it has been in years. All I know is that our family is on a journey, following God’s will much like Abram and his family did. Like Abram, there is no turning back. As we travel along our faith journey, we are being patient as God works through many and various variables and situations to find the right person for our home.
There is a great mystery to God’s timing—one that I won’t fully understand this side of heaven. All I can do is be faithful to follow God’s lead and trust in God’s perfect timing. God has led our family to a wonderful church family in a beautiful part of the country. God has led us this far and will continue to lead as we finally sell our home and complete our transition to American Baptist Church and the Rocky Mountain Region.
Prayer: Holy and Sovereign God, we are your creation and we are made in your image. While we seek you and we seek to live according to your will, we do not comprehend your ways. We cannot fathom your ways or understanding the timing of your working in our midst. However, we are thankful for your presence that is as close as our next breath. Help us to trust in you and in your leading in our life. Help us be committed to following you no matter the obstacles in our way. Through your strength, we can triumph over the barriers and overcome. Amen.
Bill Prather
Pastor
American Baptist Church
Fort Collins, CO |
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