The writer of Genesis tells us the story of Abram and God. God calls and Abram responds with blind obedience. We hear these words, "Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' So Abram went, as the LORD had told him..." (Gen. 12:1-4 NRSV).

When you consider what God is asking here, it's surprising that Abram responds without question. God is asking him to leave his home, extended family, and country and go to a place that God has not yet revealed to him. Think of how you would feel if you were ask to do all that. I am sure that my first response would be, "Where is this place you want me to go, how do I get there, what will do when I get there, and why can't I just stay here?" Unlike me, Abram just goes. That is when faith takes a quantum leap and becomes trust. This is the kind of faith that God wants us to have: Faith that allows us to step outside of our comfort zone and follow God wherever God leads.

Seen & Unseen (John 3:1-17)

This story too is about a faith that goes beyond reason. One of the leaders of the Pharisees named Nicodemus is having a discussion with Christ. He is talking of "signs" and of proof that Jesus is a man of God. We humans are always looking for proof. We hear these words about their discussion: "He came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do apart form the presence of God.' Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.'" (John 3:2-3 NRSV). This answer is very confusing to Nicodemus, and if we are honest, to us.

We think in earthly terms, and Christ speaks in Spiritual terms. Jesus says, "If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (John 3:12 NRSV)." Nicodemus and the other Pharisees said that they believed that Jesus was a man of God because of what they had seen, but they did not want to listen to what he had to say to them, especially when they did not like what he said. We too can fall into this same rut of not listening to God's voice. We need to learn to think "outside the box." This requires a faith like Abram's to trust even when we cannot see or understand.