Going without knowing

‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’ (Genesis 12:1, NIV).

Whenever I catch up with MAF staff preparing to go overseas, returning for home assignment or finishing their season of service, I am always struck by the recurring theme of trusting God in the going.

We often talk about the Christian life as ‘walking by faith and not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7), but the reality of that is rarely comfortable.

Faith sounds inspirational until it asks us to pack a bag, sign a form, uproot our lives, or step into the unknown without fully understanding what God requires of us.

Abraham knew that tension well. His call to ‘go’ appears remarkably vague. Although God asked Abraham to leave everything familiar, He didn’t reveal the destination.

Hebrews 11:8 sums it up simply: ‘It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going ’ (NLT).

I love the phrase ‘going without knowing’ because it captures so much of what our life with Jesus actually looks like.

I’m sure we can all recall moments when we obeyed God despite the information we were given being incomplete, whether that’s leaving a job, moving house, starting a difficult conversation, doing something for which we felt singularly ill equipped, or stepping into ministry opportunities when we had no idea what the outcome might look like.

These moments stretch us. They shape us. And they reveal God’s faithfulness in ways that human certainty never could.

Living the life of faith

Scripture calls us ‘strangers and foreigners’ — a people on the move. We are meant to live with hearts
tuned to heaven, always ready for God’s ‘Go,’ ‘Come,’ or ‘Step in…’

Faith is not static, it’s responsive. It listens, it follows, and it trusts.

Hebrews 11:13 reminds us that, ‘All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance’ (NIV).

Their faith was forward-looking. It was anchored in the character of God rather than the clarity of their circumstances. Peter echoes this when he addresses believers as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ (1 Peter 2:11, NLT).

We don’t view life through the same lens as the world around us. We carry the assurance that even the things that the enemy intends for harm will be used by God for the good of His people.

This is not naive optimism, it is the deeply rooted hope of a people who trust the One who calls.

As we support and encourage MAF staff — or anyone else stepping out into God’s calling — it often feels as if we’re witnessing a modern-day story of obedience like Abraham’s.

Each step into the unknown becomes a living testimony as God calls, goes with us, and is faithful in graciously leading us to the place He has prepared for us.

Response

Is God calling you to something that feels unknown and challenging? Ask Him to fill you with peace today and let Him remind you that the One who calls you will also equip you.
‘Going’ often requires us to let go of the things that have gone before. So, as you let go, may God fill you with hope for the future.
If you’d like to find out more about our overseas staff and how you can support them, please visit www.maf-uk.org/staff
Prayer: Lord, we trust You to lead us. May we know You more deeply in the ‘going’, and may we be surprised by Your continued favour and love on the journey.

Going without knowing — the life of faith