Awesome, fascinating, wonderful, marvelous…any of these choices make excellent synonyms for the adjective Amazing, would you not agree? If I were back in elementary school diagramming sentences, Amazing would appear on a slanted line underneath the noun it is describing. For example, appropriate nouns might include grace, race, or Spider-Man. Combine the two words and you have a classic hymn, a television series, and a fictional superhero. However, it is doubtful that you would ever find me composing a sentence with Amazing as the choice adjective for the noun Ambiguity, but that is exactly the combination pastor Tim Ross selected when sharing a message on the topic of faith and trust which he titled The Amazing Ambiguity of Abraham.

Continuing with grade-school-level English, synonyms for Ambiguity include the following: obscure, puzzling, uncertain, vague, muddy, questionable, perplexing, and my favorite, clear as dishwater. So, there is no way that I would choose to combine wonderful or marvelous with puzzling and perplexing! And yet, after hearing an engaging and humorous presentation by pastor Ross, my point of view on Amazing Ambiguity might be shifting. However, please keep in mind that Ambiguity and Julie just do not co-exist except in extremely rare situations, but hearing Ross discuss his own personal stories of hearing God tell him (and Abraham) to “Get Thee Up,” perhaps I might concede to Divine Ambiguity, but Amazing remains a stretch.

And just in case you are a reader who doesn’t know how deeply rooted planning and organization are in my DNA, let’s just say this—I was probably considering the day and time of my birth while hanging out in the womb! Now, don’t get me wrong, I like adventure and even surprises sometimes, but the need for me to have some type of overall game plan is un-changeable. I try my best to be flexible, and I will be, after you’ve shared with me your game plan; and I’m happy to incorporate your preferences if I am the one crafting the plan, but there will be a plan, even if it only exists in my own mind. So, I repeat, Ambiguity (Amazing or not) and Julie do not coexist.

Listening to this message, there was a very personal takeaway for me as I attempted to visualize Abraham’s situation, and I see connections to other life lessons about faith and trust that I’ve shared in posts like Still Learning and Trust Me. As Abraham leaves his “kin, his culture, and his country,” and enters into Amazing Ambiguity, I can hear a frustrated voice expressing some version of “Would you please stop asking me ‘Are we there yet?’ I don’t know where we are going, when we are going to arrive, or why we are headed there. I’m just obeying God’s message to Get Thee Up! I haven’t learned that yet, I’m Still Learning!”

As Ross shares his own Amazing Ambiguity stories of hearing God’s commands to relocate, I can’t help but think of the trust that Mary, mother of Jesus, had to muster up when God asked her to embrace the most ambiguous situation imaginable. And then there’s Joseph! Want to discuss an obscure, puzzling, uncertain, vague, muddy, questionable, or perplexing situation, and yet, what instructions do the angels provide? Do not fear. Yeah, right! Not only are they immersed into the most Amazing Ambiguity imaginable, they are also asked to not worry about it. Talk about taking a leap of faith! Whew! It’s just more than I can fathom.

Ross continues by providing an insightful picture of how vital it can be to embrace Amazing Ambiguity, to live our lives trusting in our Sustainer, even when we can’t see Beyond the Headlights. Comprehending that there is indeed a safe place between the unknown and knowable when we place our faith in the Creator, I remain in awe of people who are able to demonstrate an acceptance of the Ambiguity. It may be uncomfortable, it may be a struggle, it may be as clear as dishwater, but they respond when they receive the call to Get Thee Up.

Hearing stories about how God provides during times of Ambiguity is a balm to my soul. Would you consider sharing below a time when life was uncertain for you and God requested that you make a change? How did He provide in that situation?

Reference:

Ross, T. (2022, November 27). The Amazing Ambiguity of Abraham. The Table, Part 4. [Audio podcast]. Fresh Life Church. Retrieved from https://www.freshlife.church/messages/the-table/175