“Now the Lord said to Abram, “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
A new year spreads out before us. Stepping into a new year means stepping out of the old year. Stepping into a new chapter requires turning the page from the old. Stepping into a new season implies that the old season is fading away. We must go from something before we can move into something else.
The Lord told Abram to leave his country. We are comfortable in our “country”. We understand the language and the customs. However, God calls us to leave our comfort zones behind if we are to experience more of Him.
The Lord told Abram to leave his relatives. The people he was closest to. The extended family which supported him. There are times Holy Spirit beckons us to places that require a shift in relationships. As we tenderly nurture the seed of promise and call, He lovingly aligns us with those who will help tend the young shoot that arises from the soil of our lives.
The Lord told Abram to leave his father’s house. Generations of tradition. When God calls us to a new territory we need to follow His trail, allowing Him to blaze a new path even if it means breaking with the way things have always been done.
Letting go of the comfortable, the support systems in place, the traditional, takes faith. Not faith in our abilities to manage or “make it” but faith in the One who asks.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20 that He is with us always, even to the end of the age. Follow Him. Allow Him to blaze the trail before you. As He leads He will reach back and extend His hand; grab hold of it and walk with confidence. Your new territory is comfortable to Him. Your new relationships are hand picked by Him. Your new way of doing things has His hand of favor upon it.
What He said to Abram in verse 2 He says to you “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing.” Hallelujah!
Go forth with joy and confidence! What new territory are you entering? I would love to hear. Comment and share with your friends and relatives, new and old…