But what happens when we're not? What happens when God asks us to venture out into the unknown? I don't know about you, but I've found that God rarely shows me the end of the story before He whispers the beginning. He rarely allows me to see where the path leads before He asks me to take the first step. In her book Never Give Up! Joyce Meyer says that, "Following God is often like walking in a fog. We can only see one or two steps in front of us, but as we take those steps the next ones become clear. With God, we do not always see clearly ahead into the distant future, but if we are willing to trust Him we will have an exciting journey that will make life adventurous and worth living."
By nature, I'm a planner, and I have to be really honest and tell you that stepping out in faith - into that thing I can't see - and trusting God to take care of the details makes me really nervous. It's like feeling your way around in the dark. You frantically fumble for the light switch as you fight the urge to panic - because seeing is not an option. For the majority of us, sight is the primary way we sense our world. It's instinctual. Without our sense of sight, our world becomes unbalanced. Everything we knew about how to operate in our world is lost - we are lost.
The bible is full of people who were asked to step out into the unknown. From Abel through the prophets, Hebrews chapter 11 recounts the stories of great men and women of faith - men and women just like you and me who didn't see the end before the beginning. They were asked to walk by faith not by sight, and their stories were written down so that we could be assured that stepping out into the unknown is possible. In fact, it's required. Verse 6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. God certainly wouldn't require us to do something if it were not possible.
The thing about faith is that it makes us uncomfortable. We want to know the end from the beginning. We want to know that everything is going to turn out alright before we take a chance. We don't like giving up our map, our deluded sense of control, our sense of certainty.
Over and again the bible tells us that God is trustworthy and faithful in all He does. He cannot do anything else. Faithfulness is who He is. So why do we have such a hard time trusting Him?
There are many reasons we have difficulty trusting God, but I believe most of them are rooted in pride or fear. Some of the reasons include:
- not wanting to look foolish
- not wanting to be ridiculed, mocked or rejected by others
- not wanting to make a mistake
- not believing we can hear from God
- not wanting to fail
- not believing that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do
- not believing that we're equipped with anything of value to offer others
- not being totally surrendered to God
Throughout my life, God has asked me to take many steps of faith - from the very first time He invited me to become a Christ-follower to today when He prompted me to start this blog - and many other steps in between. The road has not been easy. It's been filled with doubts, tears, heartbreak, anxiety, roadblocks, detours, bumps and bruises. Even with all my sorrows and heartaches, my story doesn't begin to compare to those in Hebrews chapter 11. Verses 35-38 tells us that some of the greatest men and women of faith in history were tortured to death, mocked, flogged, chained and imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two and slain with the sword. They were destitute, oppressed and mistreated. They were forced to wander over deserts and mountains and hide in dens and caves. Following God takes courage! It is not for the faint of heart!
In spite of all their sufferings, these heroes held firm to their faith. They pressed on to receive an inheritance. They were yearning for a better and more desirable place, refusing to deny their faith so that they might be resurrected to a better life. Verse 13 tells us they were controlled and sustained by their faith. They were so certain that God was reliable and trustworthy - so sure that He was true to His word - that they were able to rest in their faith regardless of the outcome.
I can't tell you that everything will be easy when you take steps to follow God, but I can tell you that faith will see you through. Jack Hayford states, "Faith is not a bridge over troubled waters, but is a pathway through them." Faith is the pathway to your inheritance. You can choose to step out into the unknown with God, or you can remain stuck in pride or paralyzed with fear.
Hebrews chapter 12 encourages us to strip off every weight and sin that slows us down and run with patient endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by looking away from all that distracts us to Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. It may not be easy. You may be scared, but God is asking you today to trust Him. Run the race! Reach for your inheritance! Trust God and step out into the unknown! He will never disappoint you!
The Next Step:
- Read Hebrews 11-12, The Amplified Bible
- Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-7, New Living Translation
- Read Psalm 145:13b, New International Version
- Read 2 Timothy 2:13, New Living Translation
- Read Hebrews 12:1-4, New Living Translation
- Read Isaiah 49:23, New International Version
Going Deeper:
- Living Courageously, Joyce Meyer
- Let. It. Go.: How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith by Karen Ehman
- Never Give Up! by Joyce Meyer
No comments:
Post a Comment