following the cloud, part one

Abram thought he had it made.  He was successful.  He had a good family, lots of servants and livestock.   He was established and his "five-year plan" looked like he was on track.  He had a religious life as well, though he had misgivings about exactly who or what he was worshipping, he was faithful to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors.  

 

Then one day, the one true God showed up.  And messed everything up.  

 

He was alone on the back porch one night, pondering the skies, feeling content with his life, when he heard a voice.   The voice, scary, intense, yet compelling him to listen, to obey.

 

"I have a plan for you.  If you will obey me, you will find more fulfillment than you ever have known.   I am the one true God and I have created you to know and love me and to be known and to be loved.  I have chosen you that through you the whole world will be blessed…

 

But you have to leave."

 

Imagine what went through Abram's mind:  What?  Are you serious?   I just built my life here.  I just settled down.  I just bought my 100^th cow.   I just buried my mother, and my father needs me.  And I really don't know you from Adam…what did you say your name was again??

 

But what was greater than all of the doubts and the confusion that he must have felt at that moment was the thought that he had finally met the one true God…and that he was chosen.   He had all that this life could offer, but still his heart's desire was to be the center of someone's heart, the apple of someone's eye…to be someone.   And here the great God of the universe was standing before him and telling him that he had been chosen to change the world!!

 

What an adventure.  What a mission.  Wait…if I'm leaving, where am I going?

 

"To a city you don't know."  Huh?

 

Basically God called Abram to follow him to a place he'd never been, didn't know how to get there, and wouldn't know he was there until he got there!

 

And what did Abram do?  He went. 

 

He took God up on the challenge, to fulfill him like nothing ever would, to follow this God who had created the universe.  

 

When God shows up in our lives, He brings mercy and grace, He brings love and life and faith, and sometimes He messes everything up.  He turns our plans upside down and inside out and we find ourselves somewhere where we've never planned on being.   Most of the time when God shows up in our lives, we end up asking God…"Where are we going?"