When was the last time God asked you to do something that seemed totally absurd, even outrageous to you?
Does an example pop into your mind? Then perhaps you will be able to understand how Abram must have felt when God said, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." With no more clarity than that, Abram packed it up and left the familiar behind in response to what he was sure was God's voice.
What a life-changing adventure Abram embarked on! First, God chose him. Then God called him. Abram said "yes" to God, even though he did not have all the answers, and launched out on this historical pilgrimage. He blazed a trail for all of us, a model of what it looks like to be a person that walks with God by faith.
Like any good trailblazer, Abram left us some signposts that make it easier for us to follow this wild and crazy path of faith.
- Abram knew God had called him. He was certain of that. He could mark the time, the place, and the day that he heard God speak to him. How about you? Are you sure of our call as a youth worker? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God called you into a ministry to youth? I know I would have thrown in the towel and walked away from youth ministry a hundred times if I could not go back to the time and place where I knew God spoke to me and said, "Diane, I have something else for you to do. I want you be a youth worker and start in your own hometown." It was at Urbana '79 – and I can still see in my mind where I was sitting at the stroke of midnight when God called me into youth ministry.
- Abram found out early on that following God wasn't easy. Oh sure; there were good days, even some extraordinary ones. But a lot of days were routine and mundane. There were definitely long stretches of chaos and confusion. He must have had a lack of clarity as he struggled to understand what God was asking of him. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? We can all relate. It doesn't take us too long in our own journey of faith as youth workers before we inevitably ask God, "Why does this have to be so hard?" I know I have asked that same question scores of times. I still remember the time early on in youth ministry when I complained to Dawson McAllister about all the ways I was suffering as a youth worker. His answer was painfully blunt. "Are you in this job for strokes? If so, suck it up! You need to keep doing this simply because God called you and God loves these kids."
- As Abram continued to faithfully follow God, it became clear to him that God was using the day to day experiences, challenges and circumstances of life to change him. Life was a series of tests and choices, each uniquely designed by God to change Abram's character. Abram continued to follow God and allowed God to change him. Over time, he changed so much that God even changed his name to Abraham. How about us? Are we allowing God to change us and change our character as we follow Him? Can the kids in our youth group see that God is changing our lives?
- During this amazing journey of faith, God sealed His relationship with Abraham with a Covenant; and made a special, unforgettable, unchangeable promise to him. How about you? Do you recall those special moments in your ministry when God's promises became clear to you? Do you remember some moments in your ministry when God spoke clearly to you and said, "Because you have faithfully followed me, this is what I am going to do for you." And then you watched in humble amazement as He did just what he had said.
Abraham continued to follow God faithfully day after day. Miraculously, mysteriously, surprisingly, he began to realize that he was actually getting to know God – really know Him. God told Abraham, "Don't be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield and your very great reward." (Genesis 15:1)
God was becoming his friend; his best friend! At that point I don't think Abraham would have traded his relationship with God for anything in the world. Because he came to realize that he was born for this. He was made for an adventure to be lived. Made for intimacy with God. Made to make a difference in the world. He came to realize that God's still small voice and his simple life of faith and obedience in Him were the keys to open the door into a whole new way of living and a whole new world
There is so much more we could glean from Abraham's life. But one thing we know for sure from looking carefully at his life: faith doesn't have all the answers on the front end. It is not supposed to; if it did, it wouldn't be faith!
God never rolls out the whole blueprint when he calls us into youth ministry. He merely invites us on a journey, a pilgrimage, an adventure with Him. The details get worked out along the way. That is exactly what makes faith so radical, so fun, so scary, so demanding, so exhilarating, so wild and crazy, and so frustrating all at the same time.
How about us? Are we truly living by faith as youth workers? Are there things happening in our lives and ministry that have no human explanation except authentic faith in God and His supernatural working in and through our lives? Are we calling our young people into an adventure of faith with God?
I believe that a generation of young people is yearning for modern-day examples of youth workers who will walk an authentic life of faith before them. Young people are dying be a part of the unfolding stories of God's work. They want to see the Bible come alive.
There have been enough slick programs, enough well-packaged materials, enough gimmicks, enough concerts, enough conferences, and enough weekly meetings. The need of the hour is for youth workers and young people alike to hear from God and then step out boldly together to trust Him and obey Him in an unfolding adventure of faith.
Countless stories are still waiting to be told by this generation. Abraham's story of faith will not go down alone.