God Has a Plan for Your Life

by Robert Wolgemuth, from Couples of the Bible

If you have ever moved, you have faced uncertainty. You know the hassle of boxing up all of your belongings and carting them to the new place. But Abram and Sarai had no idea where they were going.

Can you imagine leaving your home not knowing your destination? When God sent Abram and Sarai to Canaan, the wanderers went by faith. They could not see where their new home would be located or if they would like it. But they felt safe moving into the unknown because they trusted God, and they were following His instructions. Homes are important to God. You may never have thought of God as a real estate agent; however, the Bible is filled with references to the importance of territory and land and your home, both here on earth and for eternity.
Though Abram would travel far to reach his new earthly dwelling, his ultimate goal was far greater:

He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. — Hebrews 11:10

God had promised Abram an eternal home, and he looked forward to living there.

Abram and Sarai spent most of their lives wandering from town to town and living in tents. Actually, this is what you’re doing. Even if it’s built with brick and stone, your home has a shelf life. It’s temporary.

For this world in its present form is passing away. — 1 Corinthians 7:31

When it comes to homes, God has something far better for you than anything you can imagine here on earth.

The home you live in now is temporary. Your permanent home is in heaven. And when moving day comes, unlike Abram and Sarai, you’ll know exactly where you’re going.

From God’s Word...

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. — John 14:3

Their Legacy in Scripture

1. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? — Matthew 6:25-27

What would it be like to “not worry” about your life? God told Abram — who had to tell his wife — to relocate to an unknown place. What do you think could have caused Abram and Sarai to worry? What pressure does moving place on a couple? If you have moved, what was your experience? 

2. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. — Hebrews 11:1-2

Abram lived by faith. When God called him and Sarai to leave their home and move to a foreign land, what specific details did God give them about the future? With nothing but God’s word to direct him, Abram moved. When has God called you or your spouse into unexpected territories? What would it be like to have your spouse tell you that God was calling him or her to do something that would require stretching on your part? 

3. So [Abram] built an altar [in Canaan] to the LORD, who had appeared to him...There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. — Genesis 12:7-8

How did Abram celebrate his arrival in Canaan, far from anything familiar? What did an altar represent? In what ways do you and your spouse “call on the name of the Lord”? 

Their Legacy of Prayer

Reflect On: Genesis 12:1-9

Praise God: For His sovereign ability to plan and control life and for having a distinct plan for your life.

Offer Thanks: That God’s plan is for your good and His glory, no matter where He leads, and that He is always with you to guide and instruct you.

Confess: Your unbelief in God’s goodness and ability to work on your behalf when you cannot understand your circumstances.

Ask God: To give you the gift of faith that will allow you to trust Him and His word, and to give you a calm willingness to accept where He is leading when doubts arise.

Listen: “Dear children, I have a great and wonderful plan for you — a plan that was established for you long before time began. Walk in My ways and follow My leading. I will be with you always.”

Pray: Father of our lives and future, we know that You have a wonderful and specific plan for us. Whether that means ministering right here in our home or going to the ends of the earth, we want to trust and obey You. Help us to be faithful to Your call, no matter what fears or doubts arise. Strengthen us with Your truth so we may go forward in faith, even into the unknown, and accomplish what You have planned for the future. Amen.