"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go" (Hebrews 11:8).

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go" (Hebrews 11:8).

In almost every great character throughout scripture, we find that the thing which made them really "great," was their ability to trust in God and have an active, committed faith; the ability to trust in God without being able to see or know an ultimate outcome. Thus, when God asked Abraham to leave his home, he packed up all his belongings and, at 75 years of age, set out with his family for an unknown destination while leaving behind everything that was known, comfortable, and familiar.

Voltaire once wrote, "Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe." Taking this into consideration, it certainly would not have been unreasonable for Abraham to question God's plan, nor would it have been unreasonable for such an elderly person to just say, "No, I'm staying put! I've wandered enough in my life!" Yet Abraham listened and obeyed…and was rewarded in the end for doing so!

If we can have that same powerful trust, faith, and courage to listen to God and obey - even if it means giving up that which is most known, comfortable, and familiar - God has proven that He will always lead us into a much better situation and deliver us into the place we need to be.

Fr. John