I'm going to share a piece of irony with you. I just nearly finished writing and editing, (for a change), this blog when the page crashed, erasing everything I had written with no chance of saving it. Talk about plan B.
As I watched my words turn back into white nothingness, I accepted that maybe you needed to hear something else today. Or maybe God just wanted to reinforce what I learned today. Either way, I'm going to give it another go because I really want to share this with you. And lucky for you, it's late and I'm a little loopy from lack of sleep so I'm going to make this a little more entertaining than it was the first time around.
Today in church I learned that I am Abraham.
Allow me to explain.
In the Bible there's this famous guy named, you guessed it, Abraham. He's considered the father to the generations of believers. In a spiritual sense, though he did have an abundant family line. A little bit about how Abraham became "Father Abraham."
Abe and His wife, Sarah, were promised a child by God. They were stoked. But as time passed they faced doubts and trials that tested their faith in God and their trust in His word. Eventually they got old and wrinkly and everyone began to make fun of them for thinking they could have children at their age. Abraham doubted. He decided to make God's promise come true his own way. Plan B only lead to destruction. Even so, God remained faithful and Sarah bore a child, even though she was like a hundred years old. No joke. Maybe older.
Do you see what happened here? Before I explain what I stated a few moments ago, I want to point out a couple things.
Abraham was not a rock star. He was a man with a man's nature. He doubted. He questioned God. He got discouraged. He tried using his own strength to accomplish God sized things. He was kind of a mess.
God, however, is a rock star. Actually, He's a lot cooler than that. God first called Abraham a father, and then He transformed Abraham into his calling. You see what God did? He qualified the called.
The point is not how faithful Abraham was, but how faithful God was. By not just making old women have babies, but actually giving Abraham a promise and asking him to trust Him, not only did God display His power, but He displayed something else. Love. God called Abraham into relationship and drew him nearer as He asked Abraham, "Do you trust me?"
Then God fulfilled his promise, as He is always faithful.
As I've prepared for the World Race I've faced discouragement from friends, disapproval from family, self doubt and plenty of sneaky attacks from the Enemy. Nonetheless, because of God and the people in my life who love Him, I stand today living by faith, trusting God in His promise. And He's doing it! I'm going! He has provided the gear, given me words of encouragement, and met my financial deadlines. Even before any of that, God took me from a place of fear to boldness and trust. God has faithfully got me here thus far, and I trust Him to lead me all the way, not just on the Race but wherever He calls me to.
Like Abraham, God asked me, "Do you trust me?" He gave me a promise. He called me His Child. He remains faithful. I felt God calling me to be a missionary for years, ever since I told Him it was the one thing I refused to do. God called me anyway. He then transformed me. He is my qualification.
I sometimes feel like I'm walking through fire. But I don't burn up. Instead, like gold, I am refined. Like in Abraham's story, I'm messy. But God draws me into Him. He lets trials grow my trust in Him and transform me. And my crazy act of faith, (like Abraham also once did, but that's another story), of going when God tells me to go even when I don't know where that is, it's not to my credit. It's really all about Him. Just as with Abraham and Sarah, my story is about a loving God transforming a broken person into something beautiful. So I ask you this, why on earth would I ever go for a plan B?
Just call me Abraham.
Or Leah is fine too. 😉
