A Good Reminder These Days

Taken from http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2012/01/06/stepping-into-the-unknown/


Stepping into the Unknown

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“He went without knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8b, NLT)
It’s a new year – a new beginning, new unknown territory. It can be a scary journey at times. Will I have the courage to step out into the unknown as Abraham did? Will you?
As I stand here with my toes on the threshold of the new year I know that God knows where He and I are going. Do I then go forward in faith’s victory to possess this new year…or remain frozen in victim’s defeat, allowing it to possess me?
As Jesus once said to a man whom He was about to heal, “Step forward.” (Mark 3:3b NKJV) Will I step forward believing and trusting for the answer to that which I need, remembering what God has done for me in the past? Or will I hang back in the shadows afraid to move ahead, forgetting God’s providence?
Just as God told Isaiah, He says you and me, “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like Me.” (Isaiah 46:9, NLT)
God will again make His provisions available in the new year for it is in His plan for each of us. He says, “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jer. 29:11 Msg)
As God led every step of the Israelites’ journey to the new land, so He still leads us today. When we take those wobbly steps into the unknown, what will this new land hold for us?
We may encounter…
* joys unspeakable
* smooth paths of guidance
* lush pastures of provision
* hilltop experiences
* spiritual blessings in abundance
However, we may also encounter…
* desert dryness
* valley mists and fogs
* wilderness wanderings
* gremlins hiding behind bushes
* paths with potholes and pitfalls
* steep uphill climbs and dangerous downhill slides
Challenges will meet us at every turn, some easier to handle than others. But God will work in all the ups and downs of those trials, heartaches, and blessings.
He does this for us because of His compassion and mercy. Jeremiah tells us, “Yet there is one ray of hope: His compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His loving-kindness begins afresh each day.” (Lamentations 3:21-23, TLB)
Be assured that no matter what happens on your journey this year, He is the source of your fresh mercies every morning. He will never fail you. He will walk by your side along each rocky bend in the road and carry you through each heartache and loss. God will see you through to the end of next year. Will you live as Abraham? “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country.” (Hebrews 11:9a, NKJV)
We live our outward days on earth as in a foreign country, for we abide in God’s Kingdom of promise within us. Therefore, each day brings a new threshold into eternity. How can we not welcome it with willing feet and open arms? I am ready to step into the journey of each new day of this year, greeting each one in faith and with God’s mercy.
Questions: How about you? Are you ready? How will you greet the challenges of your new journey?