A Brief Message for the New Year
Hebrews 11:8 – “…he went out, not knowing whither he went.”
Departure
“…he went out…” This is Abraham’s departure. In our text, we are admonished of the faith of Abraham. His faith is described as one who HAD nothing but a divine command, but as one who NEEDED nothing but a divine command.
You and I, like Abraham, have made a similar departure. We have all, without exception, departed from the previous days of 2011. We have been commanded by the chimes of time to do so. Regardless of the wonderful events that marked the previous year, we could not stay there. We had to depart. I know of mothers who gave birth to children in 2011. As blissful as the event may have been, “we went out.” Others have had a very hard year in 2011. Some of them may have wished that they could have departed from 2011 sooner. But it was not possible.
Destination
“…not knowing wither he went.” The phrase, “wither he went” speaks to us regarding Abraham’s destination. Abraham departed, but to what country was he to arrive? The answer is simple – Abraham did not know. Man does not favor ignorance. We like to know. I spoke to a Bible college graduate about a year ago, and he was shook up. He was concerned because he was not sure what his calling was. He knew he was called to the ministry, but unsure of where that calling would lead. He prayed and fasted, trying to get the Lord to tell him the details of his calling.
Abraham, however, did not have such knowledge. “He went out, not knowing wither he went.” He departed from his country of Ur, not knowing what God had in store. You may scoff at this and refer to it as Abraham’s ignorance; the Bible, however, refers to it as Abraham’s faith.
Think of Joseph. God showed Joseph that his brothers and father would one day bow before him. That’s all God showed him. Joseph had no way of knowing that God’s plan for him included a pit. Joseph never would have guessed that the path to his family’s obeisance to him would contain a prison. Joseph’s road to authority was paved with false accusations; yet God never showed Joseph any of this.
Think of David. He was anointed king. Yet, he did not take the throne the day Samuel poured the oil upon his head. From the time of his anointing to the time he took the throne, he would run from Saul; his life would be jeopardized; he would be separated from his friend Jonathan. Yet, God showed David none of this. David knew he would one day be king (though he doubted it at times), but he was not aware of what the path to kingship consisted.
And we go into 2012 just as blindly. We know our supreme destination. Our ultimate goal is to be in the will of God. Our greatest desire is to walk in the path of our Saviour. But none of us know what 2012 holds for us. None of us know how many long, sleepless nights we may have in the coming months. None of us know how much worse the economy may grow in the coming year. None of us know which of our family will have seen their last Christmas in 2011. “We go out, not knowing wither we go.” But as long as we trust our Lord, this is not ignorance; it is faith.
