Day 70: Trusting God Enough to be Transient

As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Then he said to another, “Follow me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” But he told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57–62

Theologians concur that one of the most comprehensive blessings God the Father made to a human being is the one He made to Abraham: “Abe, I’m going to make you the father of many nations. And not only am I going to bless you but I’m going to curse those who don’t bless you” (Gen. 12:1–3). That’d be sort of like God giving us high metabolisms and hair that’s not chemically dependent AND giving all of the hateful people in our lives hives! Plus, God told Abe there was only one thing he had to do to receive this awesome, comprehensive, 360-degree whopper of a divine blessing—just one itty, bitty caveat: he had to leave Ur.

That’s right, Abe had to walk away from the place he and his family called home. The town where he’d effectively been voted mayor. Where everybody waved when he drove down Main Street to the feed store. Where Sarah hosted a huge quilting club in their living room. Where their kids played on Little League baseball teams and co-captained the cheerleading travel team. They had to release their grip on everything comfortable in order to accept God’s promises. And this isn’t the only instance God asked something difficult of Abraham. The biblical theme connecting relinquishment and redemption shows up again in Abraham’s story when he gets to witness God’s miraculous provision of a sacrificial ram, but only after he was willing to lay down what was most precious to him:

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.” Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.” (Gen. 22:13–18)

We all want God’s blessing, don’t we? Yet we aren’t necessarily willing to leave where we’ve grown comfortable and lay down that which is most precious to us. Perhaps it’s time to begin practicing the art of letting go.

• Did the uncertainty and loss caused by COVID-19 help loosen your grip on comfort?
• Do you think you’d now be willing to leave the place and people you call home in order to please God and receive a bigger blessing if He asked you?
• What might God be calling you to leave or lay down in this season, specifically?