Devotional: The Call to Move

Abram was called from the land of Haran, where he and his family had settled from Ur, to go west. With Abram, his barren wife Sarai and nephew Lot (who lost his father) left their loved ones behind to travel with Abram to the place God showed him. They waved goodbye to Terah and Nahor, Abram’s father and brother, as they started on the path. When God calls us to move, it rarely impacts only us. 

In July of 2020, Bob began his path in ministry as the Family Life Pastor at our new home church in Sherwood. We recognized this was a call not only placed onto him but onto our son and me too. God asked us to go west, from our connected community and family in Illinois to Oregon, to a place where we did not know a soul. Oh, and in the middle of a global pandemic. 

Throughout this season, I’ve had questions. Where is my place? What is my role? Rather than accepting what was just in front of me as the next step, I struggled to force God to show me my Promised Land so I, too, could build my altar as Abram did, dedicating my future to my Father. God has revealed that I don’t need a revealed promised land to build an altar. He asks me today to lay down my will for him every morning.

Prayer: Father God, I lay down my own will and desire. I lay down my comfort and connections. When you call me to move, may I move forward boldly for your glory, willing to sacrifice my self-will on the altar before you.