Into the Unknown

READ: GENESIS 12:1-9

I grunted as I gazed at the viewport. Black space. Tiny white dots in the distance. Nothing new here. I side-eyed Dad. This was his fault. He acted like he knew where we were going.

Dad, a seasoned commander, looked up from the blinking lights of the console. “Still not speaking to me, Tai?”

I fingered one of my braids. He’d named me Tai—Swahili for eagle. I was born to fly, he always said. Born to explore the unknown.

Though I wanted to continue giving him the silent treatment, I caved. “I’m concentrating. You gave me the helm after all.” It was what I’d aced in flight class. “How do you expect me to calculate the entry if I don’t know where to go?”

Dad laughed like I’d said something hilarious. “I gave you the vector to the jump point. We’ll make planetfall then. Just follow the coordinates.”

He acted like this was no big deal. But we were in the middle of Nowhere Space. I wasn’t sure our tiny ship could make it to the planet he claimed was in Tau Quadrant. I’d left all my friends behind in Gamma Quadrant. All because Dad claimed God wanted us to find a planet that might have water—a precious commodity back home. Now there was no chance of me applying to Advanced Flight School when I turned eighteen!

I broke the silence again. “There are too many unknown variables. What if we overshoot wherever we’re going?”

“Do you trust me?”

I took in a breath. I knew what he meant. Did I trust him to know what was best for us? I slowly let out my held breath. He’d always been there for me. He’d never let me down before.

“Jump point ahead,” I said. It was now or never. “Throttle up.”

The ship shook as it made the jump. Seconds later, there it was in front of us: a small, blue planet. That meant water. Maybe this would be a good place after all. • Linda Washington

• Today’s story echoes the true story from today’s Bible passage. Abram heard from God: “Go...to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). That required trust: a belief that God was good and loving and that He would provide. Because of Jesus, why can we trust God no matter what (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:12-13)?

I trust in your unfailing love. Psalm 13:5 (NLT)