Maybe the call to go for you is just one step, not a cross-country move, not an upheaval of everything you know. It’s just one step of faith—one decision to trust God more than you trust the comfort of staying put.

I met Ruth Hooper¹ when I was 19. She wasn’t famous. She and her husband told me I could sit anywhere in the large meeting house at Remington Ave, as long as it was in front of them. They sat in the 5th row, on the right side. They wanted to keep an eye on me.

Leaving what’s familiar is never easy. People settle into routines, build lives around what they know, and resist the unknown. That’s why moving to a new city, changing careers, or stepping into an unfamiliar calling feels so overwhelming. But faith, which reshapes history, always begins with a step into uncertainty.

Picture this: You’re seventy-five years old. You’ve spent decades building a life. You know where to buy supplies, the best grazing lands, and which neighbors you can rely on. Then, one day, God tells you, “Pack up. Leave. I’ll show you where to go when you get there.” No roadmap. No specifics. Just a call.

That’s Abram’s story.

The Call and the Promise

Genesis 12 marks a turning point. Up until now, the biblical narrative has been broad—creation, the flood, the scattering at Babel. But here, the focus shifts to one man and his family. God’s plan to restore the world begins with a single, bold command: “Go.” Abram isn’t given a contract; it’s just a promise.

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you… and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed."(Genesis 12:2-3)

God’s calling is never just about the person being called. Abram isn’t told to go because God wants to improve his personal life. He’s called because God has a mission that will ripple through history. Blessing isn’t something to hoard. It’s meant to move outward.

Faith Moves Without a Map

Abram wasn’t the first to face this kind of decision and wouldn’t be the last. When God told him to confront Pharaoh,Moses wasn’t looking for a new assignment. Peter had a boat and a trade when Jesus called him to fish for people. Isaiah didn’t have a strategic plan when he said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Each figure had something in common: They moved before they had all the answers. They stepped forward not because they were certain but because they trusted the One who called them.

We like plans. We want to know the five-year trajectory, the retirement strategy, and the contingency options. But God’s way often looks different. He calls people to move before the full picture is clear.

Blessing That Doesn’t End with Us

God’s promise to Abram wasn’t about securing a comfortable life. It was about something bigger. Generations later, Paul would write that the gospel itself was preached in that promise: “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8)

God’s mission has always been global. It’s never been about one nation or one people group. Abram was chosen so that the world could know God’s blessing. That mission hasn’t changed. Jesus echoes it in the Great Commission—”Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

Too often, faith is reduced to a private thing, something personal between an individual and God. But from the beginning, faith has been about more than just us. It’s about living in a way that blesses others. What if we started seeing everything we have- resources, time, and opportunities—as tools to extend the blessing forward?

Leaving is the Hardest Part

Abram had to leave—not just geographically but emotionally. He walked away from security, from the known, into something he couldn’t control. That’s the pattern of faith. Jesus confronted the rich young ruler with the same decision: let go of what you trust or stay where it’s safe. He walked away. Abram didn’t.

Faith always costs something—comfort, control, and familiarity—that’s why it’s so hard. But faith that refuses to move isn’t faith at all.

So What Now?

God’s call doesn’t always come as an audible voice telling you to pack up and move to an unknown land. Sometimes, it’s a nudge toward something new. 

A call to shift priorities. 

A challenge to trust Him in a deeper way.

The question isn’t whether God calls. The question is whether we’ll move.

Abram didn’t know the details. But he trusted the One who did. And that was enough.

Is it enough for us?

~PW 🌮🛶

1. Ruth Hooper passed away recently. She lived to be 104 and a 1/2. I only got to meet and know Ruth because of so many who took one step forward by faith. ↩︎