“When you have a few pieces, but no big picture, it’s easy to give up. . . . Faith is confidence that keeps believing all the pieces are going to somehow fit together,, even when you don’t have the big picture to work from. It’s believing that God has a purpose, even when there seems to be no reason.”- Kyle Idleman
“By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went , even though he did not know where he was going.”- Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)
In Chapter 1 (“Keep Believing”) of Don’t Give Up, Kyle Idleman states that Hebrews 11 defines the big picture of the cloud of witnesses as faith. However, moments in life occur when you find out if you really believe what you confess you believe. At such times, faith expresses confidence that the big picture exists. Even in the midst of chaos.
Therefore, for Abraham, faith meant more than leaving his familiar, settled life. It involved moving away without even knowing his destination. Yet, through faith Abraham moved forward, even if the move didn’t make sense.
In contrast, Pastor Idleman observes, we chafe at uncertainty. We learn the foolishness of walking into the unknown. But faith that endures displays confidence that even when we have no idea where we’re headed, God knows.
So, Kyle ask you to think about times in your life when you desired more details. Stress-free movement. Turn-by-turn navigation. But life never works that way – for anyone. The author adds:
“Life’s detours are undeniably bumpy, confusing, and longer than we anticipate. However, . . . once we’ve arrived at our destination, those detours can start to make sense. Or sometimes they don’t, but we decide that’s all right. Because the joy of finally arriving where we’ve yearned to be has put the detours in perspective, even if we don’t understand them.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses strengthen your resolve when you have a few pieces, but no big picture? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Risk-dodging: the hidden irony”
