Today's devotional book reading emphasized a willingness to step forward into the unknown, to where God has called us, though we don't know what to find there. The passages chosen were interesting, however, in that they weren't entirely saying that. Yes, Abram was called to Canaan, not knowing exactly what awaited him there, but he went with knowledge of God's purpose in sending him there. And Paul didn't know what would happen when he reached Jerusalem, but there's something else at play here.

My other reading outside of that book, which included Song of Solomon 3 today, refines my point a bit more:

The bride doesn't know where the groom has gone, doesn't know what she'll find in the streets and the public squares as she searches for him, but she knows what she will find. In the end, she knows who she is seeking, and what finding him will mean for her. Just as Abram knew that walking into Canaan would lead to God making a great nation of him and blessing the world through the descendants who would inherit that land, and Paul knew that the purposes of God would be fulfilled in the trials he knew awaited him in Jerusalem, and the Bride knows the wedding celebration awaits her when she takes the Groom's hand, so we do not truly march forward into utter darkness. There are unknowns, and it is easy to focus on that, but we know the One who goes forward with us; we know His goals, His intentions toward us, the reward that He has prepared for us. How quickly do the unknowns pale in comparison to that about which we can be certain!

I have decided to try and do these daily devotional readings and writings again; consider it a New Year's Resolution if you like. I've also set aside a group of books from my to-be-read pile, and will be aiming to read, take notes, and write reviews of each of them this year.

It is little surprise that today's reading in my devotional book focuses on moving forward. On looking ahead to the work God has prepared, and walking boldly into the mission. It's also the same idea I preached on this past Sunday, when I was considering Revelation 21:1-7 and how knowing what God's goals for His new creation are should inform the way we, who are already new creations in Christ, live in this old world.

It is a good reminder, not only for the new year, but for me as I renew my efforts to be in the scriptures daily and learn from writers who have come before me and anyone else in the same position. We have a mission to serve, a God to glorify, and a hope to reveal to this fallen world. Let us consider these things deeply, remind ourselves of them often, and move forward in them boldly.