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…And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Genesis 12:8-9 (ESV)

Sometimes I find it difficult to glimpse what moving forward looks like, and adding steps to walk in it makes my feet feel as if I am wearing shoes of concrete.

It has been almost five years and I still struggle with my new future. I usually end up feeling extremely overwhelmed. I want a detailed itinerary to ensure the unknown can’t creep up on me and shatter all my dreams once again.

As the remembrance date draws closer, the future has been at the forefront of my mind. I believe those thoughts are the reason Genesis chapter twelve gave a fresh perspective and hope to my shattered heart.

Abram changes his complete direction and ventures out onto an unknown path. He begins the journey armed with a promise from God and he and his family head out into the unknown countryside.

I find Abram’s beginning extremely relatable. Unknown paths, God’s promises, and the remaining members of my family are with me on this journey. The future seems impossible and the odds seem completely stacked against my moving forward.

But Abram is a shining example of an underdog flourishing when you put your faith and hope in the One who knows the stars by name.

All through Abram’s journey as he moved further along, he would stop and build an altar. He would worship the Lord and progress in stages. These three important aspects of his journey leapt off the page and I knew they were essential for my own sojourning.

As I wonder how exactly to move forward and gain ground, Abram’s example resonates in a profound way and leaves me lingering in hope. It didn’t say Abram moved with the speed of light throughout his journey.

He was moving forward into the unknown because it honored his God.

When I take the time to build an altar from the shattered pieces of my broken dreams and worship the Lord in the midst of the ruins, I am progressing through and moving toward the next milestones with Him.

Those altars constructed on my journey can be a memorial to my experiences and a place to worship my God. When the road gets long and I wish to go back to where my journey started, I can glance back and see all the altars I have built and how my God carried me through until the next altar.

While studying altars, I also learned that God did not want any tools used to smooth out the shape of the stones. He wanted the stones as they were and would all fit together to honor Him. That fact made my heart melt.

He wants my shattered pieces, and if I lay them down and build an altar with all the sharp and jagged edges, then He will carry me through to all He has promised.

His “hope will surely not be cut off “ from me.

Dear Lord, You always make a way and we are thankful for Your faithfulness in all circumstances. Help us to trust our unknown future to You. Help us to walk without cement on our feet into all that awaits us when we place our faith and hope in You. In Your Mighty Name, Amen.