February 2nd - Hebrews 11:8

Hebrews 11:8 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. At the age of 75, Abraham headed out from his home in Haran without having a clue where he was going! What an incredible moment. People, in my experience, just don’t do things like that. Usually, we have a clear idea where we are heading – and a whole lot of planning happens first too. But Abraham was called by God so off he went. We have to conclude that Abraham was absolutely confident in God. In human terms he was taking the most enormous risk, but in spiritual terms he was clearly completely convinced that he was doing the right thing. In our risk averse culture, you can imagine people lining up endless very sensible reasons why Abraham should play it safe and stay at home. But his confidence in God was all that he needed to step out into the unknown. I have spent a huge number of hours in recent years working with colleagues on risk assessments. I totally understand that this is a very responsible way of working and I will always want us to do everything we can to anticipate carefully all potential risks and to exclude unnecessary ones. However, that doesn’t mean that we should play it so safe that we never step out into new areas or try new ideas. Abraham’s life of faith should give us courage to step out with God. I would hope that every church is a community where people are encouraged to take steps of faith even when the risks of failure and opposition are real. Playing it safe doesn’t seem to be the way in which God works. Question When did you last take a risk for God? Prayer Loving God, thank you for the inspiring example of Abraham. Teach me more each day of what it means to live a life of daring faith. Amen