Ain’t it the truth?

God says, “Go to the place I will show you.”

How many times in life have I started out thinking I had a clear sense of direction only to find the place I arrived was not at all the place I had envisioned.

Can you relate?

Often the journey has been long and hard, filled with unexpected twists and obstacles. Often I have found myself asking whether I could possibly be on the right path, and I have been tempted to give up or turn back.

But more times than not, the place God showed me, while different than I imagined, filled me with awe and gratitude. Mostly, I have been surprised by how the real beauty and blessing was in the journey itself. Such is life in faith.

Usually, when God calls us, the only things that are certain are the things we leave behind. The destination is a mystery, revealed only when we have arrived, and we can finally say, “Oh, now I see. This is where You were leading me all along.”

It strikes me that God’s promise to Abram was not in the land so much as in the showing. “I will show you,” God says. “I will.” It is God’s faithfulness to Abram and not Abram’s faithfulness to God that results in fulfillment of the promise.

God’s faithfulness still results in fulfillment of God’s promises. Even now God is calling us with these same words, “Go. To the place I will show you.”

Faithful God, increase our faith in you, that we would not hesitate to go, knowing you will show is the way. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

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This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.