A journey begins with a summons or call
Western literature is full of stories of journeys. From Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, stories of great adventures have fascinated and instructed for millennia. Think also of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Jack Kerouac's On The Road. Dante wrote a story about a journey through hell and up to heaven. A journey usually begins with some sort of summons or call, some instruction to achieve a certain purpose or goal. The journey is a metaphor for our lives, with all of the twists and turns and improbable situations that come with it, and as we listen to the stories of the journeys of others we learn at a deeper level about our own.
The Bible has some great journeys in it, and the first one is taken by a man named Abram. Abram had a unique gift for people in his day, He could hear the voice of God. God said to go to a place and He would let Him know when he finally arrived. God just said, "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house,To a land that I will show you." You could imagine that Abram might have been a little bit hesitant about just up and leaving the place that he had known as home most of his life. It's one thing to just go wherever you want as an individual, but when this involves a whole tribe of people, servants, and most of your extended family, this is a much bigger deal than just a road trip. When you start on this kind of journey, you are not planning on coming back. You are committed to this as your only plan, no matter what.
The Book of Genesis reports that God actually spoke things into being. Genesis 1:3 says "Then God said, 'Let there be..." God's "let there be" statements begin a time of transition towards a redemptive goal that He has in mind. And for us, when He speaks to us we are then propelled toward a new future and adventure with God. In Isaiah 55:11 God says "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." When the voice of the God speaks forth, and we perceive it, we begin the next chapter of our lives, and with Abram, go ahead to a new land that we may not recognize until we get there.
We have the same decisions to make as Abram did. To find the place of calling and destiny for our lives, we must listen to the voice that is leading us towards our future and put away all other voices. We must be single-minded in our focus upon this goal of living out our dreams and desires. Have you heard the voice of a vision or call leading you out to a wilderness that you really don't quite understand in it's depth or importance right now? Or have you heard this voice and are just waiting for a confirmation of the direction? This moment has much mystery bound up in it, and how you respond to this call will decide the next several seasons of your life. It's important to take the time and work necessary to be confident of your direction before you launch out on your own great adventure.
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