Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

It’s All About The Details

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:1-3.

Life is a journey and for all of us there are different paths and each path has its own unique characteristics of twists and turns, and stretches that go uphill and some that are downhill. Abraham began a journey which was designed by God. However, it required amazing faith since God told Him to take the journey, but He did not disclose the destination. God told Abraham simply, “Go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1.) The journey required Abraham to follow His lead without full disclosure of the details for the trip. All of the aspects of the journey were designed by God to build a resolute faith in Abraham.

God has chosen each of us in the same way that He chose Abraham. The path of your journey may not take you on the same path that Abraham traveled, but it will be a defined path chosen by God just for you. And like Abraham, you won’t know all the details of the trip.

In His own way, God doesn’t do details either. At least when it comes to His commands to people in the Bible. In fact, He can often be frustratingly vague. On His command for Moses to free the Israelites from the most powerful nation in the world, He merely commanded him, “Go, I am sending you to Pharaoh.”

God didn’t use any detail. He didn’t lay out a step-by-step plan. He just issued the command and expected obedience. Moses wanted to know how it was going to happen. What should he tell the people? But God didn’t fill in much detail here either. I will be with you. Tell them, I AM has sent me to you. I’m sure that did not cure Moses’ anxiety or concerns.

On the one hand, you would think God was kind of winging it. On the surface, it would seem that His plan was just to deal with the details as they came about. And that’s not very reassuring. Not when you’re being asked to step out on faith. On the other hand, when you read on in the stories, God had every detail covered. Abraham’s journey. The plagues. The Red Sea. And that’s very reassuring.

God is extremely meticulous. He is all about the details. Far more than you’ll ever be. He has everything already figured out. Every pitfall and possibility accounted for. Every detour arranged to get you to your final destination. So God definitely does the details in terms of His plan and working it out. But God doesn’t do the details in terms of what He communicates to you.

The Bible says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) Yet, most of us have times in our lives where a lack of knowledge of where we are going coupled with our daily fears and anxieties prevent us from stepping out in faith. God doesn’t need you to know every detail to follow Him faithfully. He’s more interested in your full trust than your full understanding. Trusting Him without first knowing all the details will help you grow into a deeper relationship with God. Obeying God drives the roots of your faith much deeper.

Discussion Question:

  1. Abram’s story begins with God’s call to follow him. In what ways has God directed your life thus far? Can you think of a time in your life when you experienced God’s faithfulness despite decisions you made?
  2. God didn’t specify exactly where he wanted Abram to go, yet Abram stepped out in faith. Describe times when you stepped out into the unknown. How did you feel not knowing where the next step would lead?
  3. God called Abram to leave his identity, his means of survival, his means of livelihood, and his comfort. Are you ready to follow God wherever he leads you? What would keep us from following God?
  4. God gave Abram an incredible promise, a promise almost too good to be true. Do you find it hard to trust that God has your best interests at heart? How has your life been blessed when you followed God?

<PREVIOUS

NEXT >