“It was by faith that
Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that
God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was
going.” Hebrews 11:8
Earlier this
summer, my husband and I took a much needed vacation, just the two of us. I had
been so pre-occupied with all of the necessary preparations during the weeks
that led up to our departure, that I was anxiously awaiting the upcoming
stillness before me. As our initial plane lifted into the vast openness,
I found myself mesmerized with the beauty of the sky that surrounded us. We
transformed into a speck of dust against the blue and white canvas that encompassed. I began meditating in deep thought, and could only imagine what was
to come. As we reached our maximum cruising altitude, I decided to open up His
Word, sit back, and let Him speak to me. Almost immediately, before I could
even dig deep into my study, I sensed a stirring within my heart. The
gentlest voice could be heard, yet it was loud and clear. It was almost as if
the pilot himself had spoken over the intercom instructing the cabin to fasten
our seat belts as turbulence was approaching.
“I will prepare you, but be ready.”
If you have
walked in faith for any length of time, you have hopefully come to realize that
the changing of seasons is inevitable. They will come upon us, it is just a
matter of when. God allows certain things to take place in order to transform you for your calling.
It may be to transition you to become better equip from a bigger picture
perspective, to humble you, to bring you closer to Him, or even to use your
season as a platform for others to witness. Whatever the case may be, He will
always prepare you for what is ahead. Are you actively making it a point to listen?
Do seasons of change catch you off guard, do you allow yourself to become too comfortable in your service to Him, or is your armor already fitted for
battle?
One of my
favorite books in the Bible is Hebrews, specifically chapter eleven. Many types of
commentary refer to this particular set of scripture as “The Hall of Faith.”
Verse 4: “It was by faith that Abel
brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.” Verse 5: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken into
heaven without dying” or how about Verse 7: “It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood…..”
Did you catch the pattern here?
Each of the
people listed throughout this book were those of faith who died without ever
seeing their fruit of their faith on earth. Yet, they never lost their vision,
their hearts remained focused on what He had prepared for them. They understood
that the greatest of all rewards was what they would receive eternally through
their faith in Him. I do not know what it is you may have resting on your plate right
now. However, I do know that if you are not eating the fruit of His word,
friends you are missing out on the sweetest part of the feast. Each of those
written about here in this chapter had a choice; to follow what was being asked
of them or not. The same goes for you and I today. God may very well be calling on you right now. Are you
listening?
The next time
you find yourself among a season of change, just as an airplane relies on its
engines to propel it through the skies; allow God to be your pilot and keep
your tanks full, steady your course, sit back, relax, spread your wings and just
enjoy the ride.
~Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what
we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
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