Why are you Terrified?
At our Life Transitions members group meeting this week, we reflected on Abraham’s journey to an unknown promised land. We pondered on how his setting off in obedience to a belief that ‘God’ was calling him is a pattern for the journeys of our own.
At the time of his call, Abraham did not know God as we understand Him today. This may have been an internal call, a voice heard in the night, a coming together of circumstances, we do not know how, but he must have experienced doubt, anxiety and a certain amount of terror.
Archeologists and bible historians have suggested that his entire group may have consisted of between fifty to one hundred persons made up of family and servants along with sheep, goats, donkeys and camels. Getting to know Sarah as we do from later parts of the journey, she seems to have been pragmatic, so may have questioned his call from ‘God’. Yet at the age of 75yrs old, he prepared a caravan and embarked on a journey to the unknown.
So often we also are trust into journeys to the unknown by what we can interpret as a call from God. Circumstances conspire to bring us to moments when we are called to a journey. It may be news of a serious illness of ourselves or a loved one, a sudden termination of employment, the closure of a small business, the breaking up of a relationship, the call to a new job post, forced retirement.
We are totally unprepared for this and like the disciples in this week’s Gospel Mark 4: 37 the head winds rise up in a squall, the seas get rough and our small barque appears to be filling up with water. Like the disciples the dominant feeling we experience is one of terror.
Like Abraham we have to pack a small caravan and embark on a journey into the unknown. It is in this context that Jesus’ words in this week’s Gospel resonate with us ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’
Jesus’ words challenge us to reflect on our trust and faith in times of uncertainty. Abraham’s journey was not just a physical relocation; it was a spiritual pilgrimage, an exercise in obedience and faith. His willingness to step into the unknown, despite his fears, serves as a powerful example.
You, too, may be experiencing such an unexpected call from God. If you are, you are being called to embrace faith over fear, to trust in God’s providence even when the journey ahead is unclear. Just as Abraham placed his trust in an unknown God and moved forward, we are encouraged to lean on our faith, believing that God’s guidance will see us through our personal storms. Each step, no matter how terrifying, is a testament to our belief that we are never truly alone in our journeys.
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