The writer of Hebrews 11 introduces us to our next hero of the faith with this simple statement: “By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
The Backstory

Abraham is an extraordinary figure. He is known to many as Father Abraham. Do any of you remember that crazy song “Father Abraham” that we sang as kids? It was one of my favorites!

Initially, his name was Abram, which means the father (or God) is exalted. God later changed his name to Abraham, which means the father of many nations. The three great monotheistic (one God) religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all point back to God’s covenant with Abraham. In Judaism, the covenant son is Isaac. In Islam, the covenant son is Ishmael. In Christianity, the lineage of Jesus Christ traces back to Abraham and Isaac — and Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his one and only son is seen as a prophetic illustration of God’s willingness to sacrifice Jesus, His one and only Son.
The Call of God

The writer of Hebrews acknowledges Abraham’s faithful obedience. Simply stated, Abraham obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

I have already written about Noah and his faithful obedience to a calling about things not yet seen. I will soon be writing stories about Sarah, Joseph, Moses, the Red Sea, Jericho, and Rahab — all examples of people who obeyed the call of God without knowing what the outcome would be. This is faith.
God Is Still Calling

The Hebrew writer calls on us to walk obediently in that very form of faith. Friends, God is still calling people into the unknown — to step out and take a risk — and to trust God for the outcome.

In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, Paul refers to us as God’s co-workers. For a divine reason beyond what we can imagine, God has chosen to partner with us to accomplish the ministry of reconciliation. In the process of doing so, God calls us into the unknown. Faith, it would seem, is a prerequisite to being available to be used of God.
How Do We Know When To Step Out

According to Genesis 12, God called on Abraham to leave behind his country, his people, and his father’s household — in other words: to leave everything that is secure and venture into the unknown.

Because we know the end of most step out in faith stories, we forget that stepping out is incredibly risky. We see success, and we assume that the faithful somehow knew ahead of time that it would all work out. Not so.

Imagine how the Israelites felt when Moses lead them through the Red Sea? Sure, we know the end of the story, but when they stepped onto the floor of the sea, they had no idea if they would make it to the other side. That’s faith. Imagine how they must have felt when the sea closed in and drowned the Egyptian army? That could easily have been them.

So how do we know when to step out? The answer to that question is as unique as every calling and every person called, but here are some things to keep in mind as you consider following God into the unknown:

First, the calling of God is relentless. Those who have experienced it testify that you can’t get away from it. The called will often talk about wrestling with the calling. It keeps them up at night and wakes them up in the morning. It begins to take over every conversation and invades their dreams — at least for a season. Sadly, if resisted long enough, the calling may pass, and the opportunity may be squandered. We must never forget that God has other people He can call. God will accomplish His will with or without us, and if we resist long enough, He will move along to someone else.

Second, the calling of God is often unreasonable. In other words, obedience may appear to lack common sense or wisdom. This can be highly frustrating to loved ones who think the one answering the call is crazy. This is the very reason why the calling must be immersed in fasting, prayer, and God’s Word. Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Those who are considering stepping out in faith and entering the unknown are wise to examine their hearts carefully.

Third, the calling of God is not a guarantee of success. The faithful don’t obey because victory assured; instead, they obey because obedience is more highly valued than any human view of success. We should all be cautioned against judging the calling against a human definition of success. God honors obedience and faith — and we just never know what His mysterious will may be accomplishing. God reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His ways are higher than our ways.

Fourth, the calling of God is not a guarantee of safety. The faithful don’t obey because doing so leads to safety and security. Quite to the contrary, the faithful obey knowing that it may cost them everything — and they obey anyway. Consider the story of missionary Nate Saint and his four colleagues who were killed in Operation Auca as they tried to reach the Huaorani people in Ecuador with the gospel. If you’re not familiar with this story, type “Operation Auca: 61 Years Later” into your internet search engine and watch a short video about what it means to follow the call of God into the unknown.

Fifth, the faithful know that there is no place safer, and no place more peaceful than the center of God’s will. When a young lady from our church came to me and let me know she had decided to serve as a phlebotomist (someone who draws blood from people) at Zimba Mission Hospital in Zambia, Africa, I questioned her wisdom. Zambia has been overwhelmed by the AIDS epidemic — and she was going there to use needles to draw blood from people all day long. Ashley Paulhamus assured me that there is no place safer than being in the center of God’s will — and her heart was completely at peace. She’s been serving in Zambia for several years now, and she stands as a modern-day testimony of what it means to go without knowing.