“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Gen. 12:2

I imagine it must have been wonderful to hear this promise from the Lord. Look at all the “I wills” in that sentence! That’s a lot of promises that God is making and I’m sure we would all love to be on the receiving end of such promises.

What we might not love though is that there was a condition on these promises: just before this promise God had told Abraham he was to leave his country, his people, and his father to a land that God would show him. In other words, Abram had to obey God. He had to leave his home and go willingly wherever God was going to lead him. He couldn’t possibly know what lie ahead; how difficult the path might be or whether it would lead him to a place that would feel like home again.

I imagine that he obeyed without much thought. It’s just in verse 4 that it says “Abraham went.”  Probably the first few steps weren’t too difficult. I mean, it was probably exciting!  He had this great promise to hold onto and the anticipation of adventure ahead.

We make a big deal out of taking the first step. We like to pat ourselves on the back for making the decision, for deciding we are doing this new thing (whatever it might be). It seems to me, though, that those first few steps are usually the easiest. It’s later- when the promises aren’t so fresh, when your feet are tired, when opposition comes, when it just gets plain difficult to keep going- those steps are the hardest.

I don’t know where you are in your journey. It might be you are just taking those first few steps and you’re filled with excitement about where God is leading you. Maybe you’re off on a new adventure-new marriage, new school year, new job-and reality hasn’t settled in yet (first fights, first tests, first long hours). Or perhaps you’re right smack in the middle of it all and you’re tired. This is when you will need to remember God’s promises. If you’re obedient and keep moving forward, you WILL make it. God is still with you. Pat yourself on the back for these steps that you take. Every step forward is an act of obedience. These steps matter.

What steps do you need to take today? Are the demands of life keeping you from continuing on your journey? Have you stopped moving forward because “life” got in the way? What can you do to keep moving forward today?

Friends, I encourage you to take the next step. Keep going. One foot in front of the other. I think we can hold onto these promises that God will show us what we’re walking towards. Keep being obedient and you WILL be blessed. Don’t miss out on the promises God has for you and the blessing that you can be.