Twelve Companions: Strength for the Journey
I invite you to set out with me on a yearlong adventure in the company of the "cloud of witnesses" invoked by the writer to the Hebrews. "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1) In the writer's vision these earlier travelers become a kind of coaching staff for our own journey - pioneers who've braved the deserts and detours ahead of us and will share with us the secrets of the road.
Are these great patriarchal figures too exalted company for you and me? One of the discoveries of the journey is that these giants of the faith were fallible human beings like us. The last we see of righteous Noah, he is sprawled on his bed in a drunken stupor. When some little boys laugh at his bald pate, sublime Elisha sics wild bears on them. Scripture makes no attempt to cover up these misdeeds. There is only one true hero in the Bible - God Himself. It is He who has called us on this journey, He who will see us safely to the end. "Let us run with perseverance... looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."
Part 1: Setting Out - Abraham begins our long, winding road
Part 2: Looking Down the Road - Caleb scouted the route.
Part 3: Getting Directions - Samuel listened as he walked.
Part 4: Accepting the Assets - Gideon was stronger than he knew.
Part 5: Accepting Delays - Moses learned the value of a detour.
Part 6: Letting go of our own Agenda - Elisha follows another.
Part 7: Taking the Low Road - Naaman finds the humble path.
Part 8: Laying Down our own Itinerary - Abraham's servant journeys for another.
Part 9: Trying to Flee - Jonah ran in the opposite direction.
Part 10: When the Road is Rough - Joseph travels light.
Part 11: Learning to Hear - Noah walked with God.
Part 12: Arriving - Joshua entered the Promised Land.
All stories are copyrighted by Guideposts, Carmel, New York 10512. All rights reserved.
If you would like to reproduce any of these stories, contact Guideposts, ATTN: Rights & Permissions Department, 16 E. 34th St., 12th floor, New York, NY 10016, Editor@guideposts.org.
For more true stories of hope and inspiration, visit www.guideposts.org.
Are these great patriarchal figures too exalted company for you and me? One of the discoveries of the journey is that these giants of the faith were fallible human beings like us. The last we see of righteous Noah, he is sprawled on his bed in a drunken stupor. When some little boys laugh at his bald pate, sublime Elisha sics wild bears on them. Scripture makes no attempt to cover up these misdeeds. There is only one true hero in the Bible - God Himself. It is He who has called us on this journey, He who will see us safely to the end. "Let us run with perseverance... looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."
Part 1: Setting Out - Abraham begins our long, winding road
Part 2: Looking Down the Road - Caleb scouted the route.
Part 3: Getting Directions - Samuel listened as he walked.
Part 4: Accepting the Assets - Gideon was stronger than he knew.
Part 5: Accepting Delays - Moses learned the value of a detour.
Part 6: Letting go of our own Agenda - Elisha follows another.
Part 7: Taking the Low Road - Naaman finds the humble path.
Part 8: Laying Down our own Itinerary - Abraham's servant journeys for another.
Part 9: Trying to Flee - Jonah ran in the opposite direction.
Part 10: When the Road is Rough - Joseph travels light.
Part 11: Learning to Hear - Noah walked with God.
Part 12: Arriving - Joshua entered the Promised Land.
All stories are copyrighted by Guideposts, Carmel, New York 10512. All rights reserved.
If you would like to reproduce any of these stories, contact Guideposts, ATTN: Rights & Permissions Department, 16 E. 34th St., 12th floor, New York, NY 10016, Editor@guideposts.org.
For more true stories of hope and inspiration, visit www.guideposts.org.