Walking into the Unknown

An old tale from the Middle East tells of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and a big, black door.

As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who said, “I will now give you a choice. You can go out that door to face the firing squad, or you can go out that big, black door.” The spy hesitated for a long time. He struggled with his decision. Finally, he said with resignation, “I will face the firing squad.” He was carried out, and moments later shots rang out confirming his execution.

The general turned to his aide and said, “They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, we gave him a choice.”

The aide said, “And what lies beyond the big, black door?” The general replied, “Freedom—and I have known only a few who were brave enough to take it.”

That is our tendency. We settle down with the known, the predictable, and refuse to walk out into the unknown with faith. In the process, we miss out on the freedom and fullness that God can bring to our lives.

I am grateful that there have been some who have been willing to travel the unknown way. Abraham was such a man. At every significant crossroad in his life, Abraham chose to walk the unknown way by faith.

That’s not easy for us to do. God’s call upon our lives may upset our routines and our sense of security. Abraham had been living in Ur in the land of the Chaldees. It was a leading city of the day. It had all of the cultural advantages that went with living in such a place. Then God’s call came—“Get out of your own country.” Abraham responded to that call immediately by faith.

I would like to tell you that following God’s leadership in your life will always bring serenity and peace. But when I look at how God challenged Abraham and many others in the Bible, I think it is much more likely that following God will upset your routines and challenge your sense of security. God is always calling us to go on new pilgrimages and take on new challenges. About the time you have settled down and gotten comfortable, He will very likely come along and call you to take on some fresh responsibility.

Virginia Owens wrote, “When you are climbing a ladder, you must loosen your grip on one rung in order to grasp the rung ahead. Loosening the grasp is never easy. We come into this world with our fingers furled, and only slowly, by repeated practice, do we learn to open our hands.”

Following God’s leadership in your life may threaten your sense of security. You may want to hang on for dear life. But I challenge you to be willing to risk it. I challenge you to respond to His call by faith.