Episode 128 – The Journey Pt 1: It’s Not About the Destination
Abraham is often held up as a model of faithfulness because when God told him to go, he went. No questions. No “yeah buts.” He didn’t even know where he was going. But he started moving anyways. Abraham understood something about God many of us miss: God is the God of the journey, not the destination. And trusting God as we walk into the unknown is challenging for so many of us because we crave clarity. But when we bring that mentality to life with God, things don’t go so well. By the end of this new series, The Journey, you’ll understand how to adopt a journey mindset, what it looks like to journey well with God, and how to spot the things holding you back from moving forward in faith in the midst of the unknown.
Discussion Questions
- What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?
- What do you think are some of the main things that hold you back from journeying well with God?
- We’ll sometimes say things like, “I don’t think I would be who I am today if I hadn’t had to go through that.” That’s a journey statement. What are some of the journeys God has used to change you?
- How would you describe the difference between clarity and confidence?
- What are some of the things you’ve found helpful in developing a journey mindset?
- How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?
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Hello Brad, I enjoyed this episode and shared it with my coworkers at our staff devotions. They gave a little pushback on the idea that God is not a God of the destination, but of the journey and I’m beginning to see their point. Could we say that it’s a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” situation. God is also the God of our destination! Look at what He is preparing for us at the end of our journey. However, I do understand what you are promoting here and recognize that I can get so weary of the journey that I focus on the destination to the point I am missing what God wants to do on the journey. BUT keeping the destination in mind, does provide motivation some days when it is really really tough going.
Think of the loss of a son in a horrible accident. How does this teaching apply in that situation in a way that is hopeful and comforting?
Just some thoughts. Looking forward to hearing more! God bless…
These are great comments, Brenda. Thank you for sharing them. And yes, as you alluded to, this pertains more to how God relates to us on a day-to-day basis. We never get an itinerary. We never get the whole plan. We are simply invited to follow. And we trust God because we know He has the destination figured out, and He’s going to lead us well. But so often, we don’t follow well because we want the destination. I flesh this out in a couple of the forthcoming episodes, and I hope these will be helpful in that vein. Again, thank you for your comments.
Thank you for all the time and work you put into these series. My husband and I continue to glean and grow so much from what is shared here. We each listen to episodes as we go throughout our day and talk about them when we are back together. We are excited for this new series and look forward to what is to come!
That’s so great to hear, Tiffany! Thank you for sharing that.
Brother Brad, Outstanding word! I am so looking forward to the Journey!!!
Thank you, Wesley! I’m pumped for this series as well.
Thank you Brad! I really love this series so far. I agree that God is a God of the journey. I know that if I am focused on the destination I will miss out on all the miracles that God will be doing along the journey.
For me the answer to the first question comes down to Surrendering my will to Gods will and trusting for his provision along the journey.
The answer to the second question for me has been control. Since I did not trust God in the past I could not see all that he had for me on the journey.
What i find helpful on my journey is to walk in constant contact with God and walk in humility always looking for the invitation to see what he might have in store for me.
Thank you for sharing this, Bernie. Couldn’t agree more!
Wow, great series this is very inspiring Brad, looking forward to the series.
Thrilled to hear, Alec!
If we are to start walking, we may not know the destination, but we do need to know in which direction to go.
Totally agree, Dennis. The rest of this mini-series unpacks how to figure out that direction. So I trust the other episodes will be helpful to you.
I will say this of the lesson that although I am late to the party. God is right on Time! I have had to in the past leave a situation on God’s instruction and did not know how to navigate it well. I waited for 9 months for a word of direction and when I didn’t get it I took to my own counsel and it was indeed difficult to travel. I kept expecting my situation to be like Job’s where you are restored after obedience but clearly, that was not what God had in mind. Looking back I truly believe it was about learning to trust God in difficult times. In any case, I am going through another situation where an unseeing faith is indeed required but this time I have this series “The Journey” to give me some perspective on the God of the Journey. Thanks for teaching this series
You are most welcome! Thank you for sharing this. Really appreciate it.