Faith to Take the First Step

Often, the Lord invites the surrendered into impossible seeming situations. Honestly, it seems like He enjoys this. Moses. Gideon. David. Jesus. Maybe even you or me. Others can look on to your story from the outside and either judge you or bail on or you or just plain wonder how on earth is he doing all that right now? I want to tell you today, if God calls you to something that feels crazy or impossible in the natural, there’s a grace for the journey when you have faith to take the first step.

When we step into the Jordan flood waters, all the onlookers are usually thinking, “That’s foolish. You’re about to die!” Because those flood waters swept people downstream in a rush and it was over just as quick. But when the Lord God says, “Hey, lets cross the raging river by foot today,” it takes an insane amount of faith to take that first step.

Something I always love about stories like this is that the raging river doesn’t stop until AFTER we take that first step of faith. When you’re living a story like this in real time, there’s no hindsight. There’s no way of looking back and reading the next verses to know that, “Oh, of course the water is going to stop and I’m not going to die.”

Like the servant who was told to report on Elijah’s whereabouts. He essentially responded, “Please, no. Don’t make me go tell the governing leaders this. What have I done to you that was so horrible that you’d give me a death sentence like this!?” I feel for this guy. We can easily feel like, “If I obey this order or this call, then that’s it. I’m through. It’s over.” It takes a tremendous amount of faith to obey anyways.

And when we do obey anyways, after we take the first step of faith toward the direction we feel we’re being led to go… it’s not til then that the way begins to unfold before us.

Seriously, it’s like Indiana Jones. That scene where he steps out on to an invisible bridge over a huge ravene! I saw that movie as a kid and that scene has returned to my memory so many times as God has asked me to do things that look foolish to onlookers. Especially recently. I can see Indiana walking on nothing way high up between cliffs. And I think, “Yep, that’s kind of where I’m at right now.” Can’t see the path but I’m walking it anyways.

It’s almost guaranteed that others around you will misunderstand your faith walk. But do not let their concerns or misunderstandings or even judgements allow you to take your eyes off the One you are following.

You’ll hear a voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

If you’re surrendered to the Lord, if you hear even a nudge of Holy Spirit pointing you on the path He has for you… take the first step. And then take the next. Sometimes the path is invisible to you until you turn back and see, there it was! All that time. It didn’t feel clear or even visible at the time, but each step taken in faith will get you one more step down the road the Lord has for you.

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him and He will act.

And as you take one step at a time, you can trust that God will provide. He will not only light up the path, He will also lighten your fears and concerns. Because the more you step out in faith, the more confidence will grown that He never forgets one part of the plan. He never miscalculates one bend in the path. And He keeps His promises to make your path straight.

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

Isaiah 50:7, NIV

So we can set our face like flint, unwavering, determined, steadfast to complete the call God has on us right now. Because we fear God and not man. Because we hear the Voice of our Shepherd saying, “Come, follow me.” And because chasing after the hem of His garment matters more than the crowd that tries to press us down and push us away. We run after and follow Jesus Christ alone, and He is our great reward. So let us press on to win the race before us. Regardless of flood waters, raging rivers, remarks from those who don’t understand.

But the Lord God keeps me from being disgraced. So I refuse to give up, because I know God will never let me down.

Isaiah 50:7, CEV