Every time I have to go somewhere new, I need to rely on a map. Despite having no idea where I am heading, I put my faith in GPS and Google to get to where I want to go. Sometimes the route takes unexpected turns, and sometimes I misunderstand the directions and have to get myself back on track, but I’m sure you’ve all been there yourselves. There have even been those times where I am literally shouting at my phone “are you sure?” because it looks such an unlikely path, we are taking. Despite all my anxieties and concerns, I arrive at my destination and wonder why I was so worried. Most of the time, it’s reassuring that there’s at least something in the car who knows the right way to go and the calming voice of “Mrs Google maps” brings a measure of reassurance.
We are looking at the faith of Abraham today which is often held up as the example of what it is to be faithful. As we know, God promised Abraham that he would have a child that would be the father of numerous descendants. While Abraham could not conceive a child with his wife, Sarah, he was able to conceive a child with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. This child is born but thirteen years later, God tells Abraham that it is not this child that will fulfil the promise of God but one he will have with Sarah. Despite Abraham being ninety-nine years old and Sarah being ninety, and despite them failing to conceive a child before, Abraham believes that if God says it will happen, then it will happen. This is the faith we use as our example. This is the faith that makes Abraham “righteous”.
It’s easy to confess faith in God when things are going well for us. We tend to think that God will set a straight and easy path before us, one that suits us. Yet like Abraham thinking that Ishmael is the promised son only to be told that it is another, how do we deal with changes in the direction of our life? Are we like Abraham, willing to accept God has set us on a new path? Or do we doubt God because we’re being led somewhere different from where we thought? If our faith in God is superficial, or is for selfish reasons, then God’s leading in a new direction will shake us. If our faith at the very core of our being, and we grasp we are here to serve God, our faith carries us through these changes and new directions. The faith of Abraham is simply an utter belief in the goodness of God and a willingness to go where God leads through a deep trust in God. This is the faith we are called to emulate, to trust God more than we trust our GPS, to steer us through our path in life.