Have you ever purchased a piece of furniture that required some assembly? If you’re not well-versed in assembly and construction, the words “some assembly required” printed on the side of a box can bring about feelings of fear, anxiety, and dread. Things often get even more complicated when you get the box open and find a packet of instructions, many of which don’t make any sense at all. For many of us, trying to put together a shelf, table, or other piece of furniture with the directions in the box is like trying to launch a space shuttle.
Taking action when the directions don’t make sense is a scary process. As humans, we like to know what’s coming next. We binge watch TV shows on our streaming service of choice and scroll ahead to the episode descriptions so we can know what’s coming. Many of us like to flip to the back of the book to find out if the main character is going to live because we need to know what’s coming.
God’s directions rarely include a preview of how things are going to work out. Instead, He expects us to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), trusting our future to His faithfulness. If you’re struggling with the idea of taking the next steps when God’s directions don’t make sense, let’s look into Scripture at some faithful people who chose to obey anyway.
Noah’s Ark
Hebrews 11:7 (ESV)
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
The story of Noah’s ark can be found in Genesis chapters 6-8, but we will summarize for the sake of time here. The world had grown incredibly wicked. In fact, things were so bad that God regretted even putting people on the earth. He knew he needed to destroy everything and start over, but there were two questions. One, how was He going to do it? Two, what was He going to do with Noah and his family (the only Godly people anywhere in the world)?
It’s also worth noting that up until this point, it had never rained. Before the events that you can read about, a dew came up out of the earth to hydrate the grass, trees and plants. There had never been any rain when God went to Noah and told him to build a boat.
What’s a boat? What is rain? How am I supposed to gather that many animals and get them to all climb onto this boat? Can you imagine the questions that Noah had when God told him to build a boat because a flood was coming, and he needed to gather enough animals to repopulate the world?
Actually, we don’t read about any questions that Noah had. That’s not to say he didn’t ask them, but the Bible doesn’t focus on Noah’s questions. Instead, the Bible discusses his faithfulness. When God told Noah it was going to rain, Noah didn’t point out that it had never happened before. When God told him to build an ark, he didn’t say that he didn’t have a history in construction. When God told him to gather animals, he didn’t point out that animals were everywhere, and he didn’t have a list of what to get and where to get it.
Instead, he obeyed. It didn’t make sense, and it’s safe to assume that there were scoffers. However, Noah focused on trusting God.
Abraham
Hebrews 11:8 (ESV)
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Again, let’s take a minute and imagine how this conversation may have taken place.
God: Abraham, I want you to move away.
Abraham: Alright! Where am I moving to?
God: I’m not telling you. I just want you to get some things together, take your wife, and move.
Abraham: Sounds great! We’ll be on the road in a few minutes.
The 12th chapter of Genesis recounts the story of God calling Abraham (who was still called Abram at the time) to go into a place that He hadn’t really told him about yet. We don’t have any account of a conversation between the two, but we can put ourselves in the situation that Abraham found himself in and figure out how we would respond.
If God told you to pack up and leave your hometown, your friends and your family, what would you say? If we’re being honest, most of us would have some objections. However, God had a purpose for calling Abraham away from where he was. There was something better for him.
Abraham’s willingness to move when God said to move allowed Him to become a father of the Christian faith. God promised him that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky, and it was proven true.
Abraham got another mention in Hebrews 11 just a few verses later.
Hebrews 11:17 (ESV)
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son
Many years after his move, God finally blessed Abraham and Sara with a son that they had long waited for. However, when Isaac had grown up and was in his teens, God told Abraham to take him onto a mountain and sacrifice him! Surely this time Abraham would have questions, right?
Not exactly. Genesis 22 doesn’t recount any examples of Abraham doubting God. Instead, Abraham simply took Isaac to the place where God told him to go, built an altar and put Isaac on it. As he was about to thrust a knife into his son, God stopped him and showed him a ram that was caught in the bushes.
Once again, Abraham had obeyed God in the face of something that defied all logic. Why? Because he had already recognized the fact that when God’s directions don’t make sense, it’s because He has something better for His people.
When God tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense, it’s for one of three reasons. It will either protect us (like it did Noah), promote us or provide for us (like it did for Abraham). It doesn’t have to make sense, but we can trust God’s goodness in the face of the uncertainty.
A Closing Prayer:
God, help me to be more obedient. I know that sometimes I like to have all the answers before I act, but I know that if You are telling me to do something, it’s for my best. Remind me of Your faithfulness, help me to obey You without doubt and questioning. In Jesus’ name I ask these things, Amen.