TRANSITIONS

TRANSITIONS

By Richard Lineberry

By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place that he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

The Bible, as well as church history, is full of transitions from one place to another. The exodus tells how God delivered his people from Egyptian slavery, took them through and unfamiliar wilderness and finally to a land they'd never been. Why? Because it was His purpose for them at the time. Many a missionary has been uprooted from his familiar surroundings and told to go unfamiliar places. It seems that following the Lord is accompanied by our willingness to change and take a few risks occasionally.

Such is a time for us as we have sought the Lord with faith and are now in the process of selling our physical property and finding where the Lord is leading. Has the Lord told us everything we want to know about it so far? No. He has shown us how to get moving in the now. It would, of course, be nice if the Lord has said everything up front like, “Here’s where you’re going, here’s how much it will cost, and here’s the list of everything you will need.” Yes, that would have satisfied our wonderings. However, there is no story in Scripture of the Lord leading anyone that way. His word, Proverbs tells us, is a lamp unto our FEET and a light to our path. He shows us step by step. It’s sort of like, take step #1 and I’ll show you #2 but not before the first one. When God says GO and we don’t go we may be cutting off the fruit He planned for us in the future. Are transitions risky? Usually they are. But if we aren’t willing to trust God, everything stays the same.

As we, as a corporate body, pray for God’s leading, we will come into a greater unity of purpose. Things will become clearer as we walk. Now is the time for seeking the Lord’s will relative to finding a buyer and directing us to a new location. We are taking baby steps but if our hearts are open to Him in faith, God will direct our path.