SERMON QUOTE
“The first thing we see about the call from God, is that Abraham had to take some next steps. The second thing we realize is that this call demands a surrender of his will.”
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
Abraham might have thought he was surrendering to God when he agreed with God’s vision for his life: that he would be the forefather of a new nation and promise and that God would use him to bless all the earth. I wonder if he would have agreed with God’s vision for his life if he knew the path he and his offspring would take to get there.
Surrendering to God’s plan is often easy when we think of the end. After all, this is the same God that promises that all things work out for our good in the end. But surrendering to the methods God uses to accomplish His vision is a whole different story. It is here that we often give up on God’s call for our lives. When it seems like He must have forgotten the promise He made, the call He gave or the plan He had.
This reminds me of one of my favorite books, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, when the main character sees the path before her detour toward a great desert and she says,
“We mustn’t go down there. The Shepherd has called me to the High Places. We must find some path which goes up, but certainly not down there.”
Sometimes it can feel like we know the best route to take to the call God has on our lives, but surrendering to God means surrendering our vision and our means.
AUTHOR BIO
Joanna Tong and her husband Stefan have been attending Christ Church for more than three years. She serves as a small group leader with the SHYG High School group and runs Sisterhood for High School girls.
PRAYER
Eternal Father, God of all wisdom and knowledge, help me surrender today to Your plan, Your way, Your sovereignty; strengthen me by Your Spirit to put my whole trust in You.