Going Without Knowing

Our brains are hardwired for survival. Behavioral scientists explain that to navigate a precarious ancient world, humans evolved to favor certainty over uncertainty, the known over the unknown. This instinct for predictability, which kept our ancestors safe, often comes into conflict with the life of faith. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We are called to rely not on what we can see, but on who we can trust.

This tension is at the heart of our passage in Deuteronomy 2. After decades of wandering in the wilderness, circling the same mountain, God’s people are stuck. They are caught between the familiar bondage of their past and the uncertain promise of their future. God steps in with a clear command: “You’ve been going around in circles in these hills long enough; go north.” It’s a call to move forward, to break out of stagnation. Yet, God gives them no detailed map, no timeline, and no forecast of the challenges ahead. He simply tells them to go. This challenges us to ask ourselves: are we willing to walk with God by faith, even when we have to go without knowing?