Faith Fuels a Family to Obey God
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10
When we surrender our lives to the Lord, the prospect of Him calling us to go to a place we are unfamiliar with can be scary. That fear gets amplified when you start to add a family into the mix. When my wife and I got married, we had discussions where we would ask each other, “If God calls us to ______, how would you feel?” The answer was always something like, “I would go, but I would be scared.”
I am sure that when Abram was told by God to take his family and live in a faraway country, he had similar feelings. The Bible mentions how Abram led his family to obey where the Lord was calling them to go. In Hebrews chapter 11, two massive words are given that show us how we can have the same obedience as Abram did in Genesis chapters 11 and 12. Those words are, “By faith.” Following the Lord can be scary at times, especially if that means moving to a place you are unfamiliar with. Making new friends, being in a new place, and all the unknown that comes with taking a leap of faith can be hard. However, if we want to do family differently, it is something we have to do. The only way we, as a family, can truly surrender everything to the Lord is through having faith in Him and trusting that He has an amazing plan for our family.
If God calls your family to move to a new town, how would you all feel?
How can we grow our faith as a family? What practices can help us with that?
What do you think would be the hardest part of doing what Abram did with his family?
Do you think you can still obey God even if you may not necessarily “like” where it takes your family?
Family Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving our family. I pray that as we seek to obey whatever You have for us, that we would grow our faith in You. We want to be ready to do Your will. Lord, help us to discern where You are calling our family and what You are calling us to. Help us to be a light to our world. We love You, and we pray this all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.