Stepping Out in Faith

Sometimes God asks us to move forward with a plan and only gives us minimal details. When we step out in faith and trust Him, we get a front row seat to witness His power. The Bible includes many stories of courageous people doing this, but one of my favorites is found in the book of Joshua.

For the past few months we’ve been following the narrative of the Israelites fleeing Egypt and beginning their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Today’s story fast forwards to when God’s people are on the brink of crossing into the promised land. Moses’ successor, Joshua, receives instructions from the Lord for leading all of the Israelites across the Jordan River at flood stage.  Here’s how Scripture explains God’s plan: 

“Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.’ Joshua said to the priests, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.’ So they took it up and went ahead of them. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” (Joshua 3:5-8, NIV)

Although they’re unsure what the Lord will do, the priests and the people follow His plan and watch a miracle unfold before their eyes:

“Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away…So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” (Joshua 3:15, 16a, 17, NIV)

Imagine being the first two priests to step into the rushing waters of the Jordan balancing the holy and precious Ark of the Covenant on poles on their shoulders. Mud and slippery rocks at the water’s edge likely made it daunting, but they stepped into the swirling waters with obedience. Kristi McClelland explains, “[God] doesn’t promise to tell us everything that’s going on ahead of time. He doesn’t promise we’ll see a blueprint before we start building. The reward is often on the other side of obedience…Life doesn’t always afford us all the facts before we make a decision. But we can always decide to trust God’s character. We can always decide to believe in God’s goodness and steadfast love.”1

So, what does it look like in contemporary times to step into the waters of obedience and trust God in the mystery? For me, I think of a Bible verse that’s framed on my wall: “I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see.” (2 Cor 5:7). It was a gift from some women who have become dear friends since I stepped out in faith to start a Bible study ten years ago. It felt risky and uncomfortable joining with another friend and agreeing to lead this group. I wasn’t sure what we would study or how I would find answers to their questions, but I trusted God would give me what I would need. Ten years in, He hasn’t failed me.

Recently I sat listening to an acquaintance share about starting a similar group. After keeping her distance from faith-related activities for many years, she’s been inspired by the strength and grounding she sees in others who know the Lord. Now she feels like she’s missed out by holding back for so long. Craving meaningful connections with others, she reached out to invite women to a group that she feels ill-prepared to lead. At the same time, she’s been praying God will show her He’s real and has been astounded by the answers He’s giving her. My new friend is stepping out in faith, not knowing what the Lord will do, but trusting Him. The enthusiasm in her voice and the light in her eyes reveal evidence of God’s work in her life.

I could fill pages with stories like these—of people stepping out in faith to trust God and watching in awe as He worked in and through them. Kristi McClelland likens this to “eating a mystery.” She compares our choices to believe God and take action without fully understanding all the details with the Israelites’ choice to eat the strange new food the Lord provided in the desert. They called the bread that tasted like honey “manna” which translates to “What is it?” The metaphor of eating the mystery fits well with David’s invitation in Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” We can only taste the Lord’s goodness if we’re willing to put the mystery into our mouths.

Looking back at my life, I’ve never regretted times I’ve stepped out in faith instead of holding back and playing it safe. Opportunities to see God at work are His invitation to get us involved in what He’s doing. It’s our choice whether or not to respond.  

Where might the Lord be calling you to step out in faith, trust His goodness, and eat a mystery? Pray and ask Him to show you what He wants you to know and do. Trust Him to walk alongside you, to part the waters, to feed you the manna, and to give you the courage. You’ll find life is fuller, richer, and more meaningful than you could ever imagine. 

Be inspired listening to “Walk by Faith” by Jeremy Camp. As you watch this video, you’ll see clips from a movie based on an event in his life that made these words real to Him. Whether God is inviting you into something exciting and new or holding out His hand for you to trust Him during a hard season, walking by faith is the best choice you can make. Click here to watch.

1. Kristi McClelland, Jesus and Women in the First Century and Now, Lifeway Press, 2019, 43-44.

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Walking by Faith- The Armor of God Part 5

Instead of taking things at face value, we look for the spiritual implications and opportunities for growth that exist within them. We continually ask God to show us what he wants us to learn through the situations we face.

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Faith, Priscilla Shirer tells us, is when we act like God is telling the truth. And each time we step out in faith and see God work, it spurs us on, giving us greater confidence to take additional steps and to see God continue to move and work in our lives. Having faith means we believe there is a God who is bigger and knows more than we do.

Perhaps the most well known passage on faith appears in Hebrews 11, which starts off with a simple definition: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) It goes on to explain, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

Another passage written by Paul explains that followers of Christ “walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV) The idea of “walking by faith” means that we are striving to see the world through the lens of our belief in God and what we learn by studying the Bible. Instead of taking things at face value, we look for the spiritual implications and opportunities for growth that exist within them. We continually ask God to show us what he wants us to learn through the situations we face. We expect to see him at work in our lives and are open to letting him change us into better versions of ourselves.

Learning to live like this takes focus and discipline. We must fight against our natural tendency to compartmentalize different aspects of our lives. Imagine your mind as a bookcase and each book on the shelf represents one category in your life: the spines of your “books” include titles like “Family,” “Friends,” “Marriage,” “Work,” “Social Life,” “Fitness,” “Entertainment,” etc. Many of us start out with “Faith” as one of the categories in our minds. We engage it at certain times and in certain places with certain people, but it doesn’t permeate our lives or influence many of our choices. Our default mode is to make decisions based on our preferences, not on God’s Word.

But as we grow in our relationship with God and begin applying the truth of the Bible to our lives, we begin taking steps of faith. We start to see that God knows what he’s talking about and really does have a better plan for us than we have for ourselves. Faith begins to spill over into other “categories” in our lives, affecting the choices we make about relationships, money, career decisions, raising kids and even our social lives. Faith in God shouldn’t fit neatly into one compartment of our lives because it is meant to inform EVERY area of our lives.

What role does faith in God play in your life?  Does the hope of what is yet to come spur you on daily? Or have the cares of the world caused you to change your focus to what you can see and touch? Are there any compartments in your life that you’re holding back from God? Anywhere you’re unwilling to allow your faith to have influence? If you want more than what the world has to offer, pray and ask God to help you surrender all of your “compartments” to him. Stop rationalizing. Admit your fears. Root out apathy. Tell God where you are holding back and take a step of faith by inviting him to move and work in one previously “off limits” area in your life.

Make Lauren Daigle’s song “Come Alive” your prayer of faith for today.

Continue reading “Walking by Faith- The Armor of God Part 5”