by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Embracing God’s Journey for Our Lives

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 English Standard Version

I recently finished a year-long photography journey. One day every month I strolled the downtown streets of the pandemic-ridden city that I call home.

Journeys begin with heightened emotions.

Depending on the journey we’ve chosen, the future might be exciting or frightening as we head out into the great unknown. My journey began with fear, anxiety and excitement. Fear at how people would react to my carrying around a vintage camera and snapping pictures that might include them. Anxiety as to my ability to complete the project as I envisioned it. Excitement at what the project would look like at the end of the journey.

Abram, or Abraham as God would later name him, was called to a journey that involved fear, anxiety, and excitement. God called him to leave the familiar and act on a promise, a promise that he himself would not fully realize in his lifetime. Yes, he would have a son, but he wouldn’t see the great nation that his descendants would become.

Our baptism into Christ has placed us on a journey, a journey that can also be filled with fear, anxiety and excitement. We, like Abraham, are called to live by faith and not by sight. A life of faith can involve fear of the unknown, anxiety about our part in this journey, and excitement about what God will do as we move into that future.

Abraham was changed on his journey and so are we. May we embrace God’s journey no matter what emotions we experience.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado