Is there anyone who doesn’t want to hear from God? Seriously, we read about these incredible stories of the Biblical characters. Moses heard from God in the burning bush, Elijah is seeing miracles, the disciples watch Jesus walk on water. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to meet with God like that? What is holding us back from experiencing God in amazing ways?
God wants to meet with us. Maybe that won’t be a burning bush or a miraculous move, but he loves talking to his kids. He wants to draw us out, just like he did with the men and women of Scripture. He wants to teach us, spend time with us, and help us to grow in grace. But that relationship happens on the other side of a step of faith.
Here’s what I don’t’ mean by that: I don’t mean that we should just take a flying leap into the darkness. A step of faith is just that—a step. It’s a move in the direction that we know it’s right. Some people might call it “the next right thing.” Most of us know deep down where God wants us to go, but we resist. Taking that step of faith means an act of obedience, doing the next thing we know that God is asking us to do.
If we get the idea that every step of faith has to be this big dramatic moment, we’re going to miss the daily opportunities to trust God. Jesus knew that our faith needed to grow, which is why he compares it to a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). Our faith does expand when we have to trust him in the big things, but it also needs the everyday growth that we get when we walk with Jesus. So what is holding us back?
Let me put it this way, if you’re not in shape, would you try to run a marathon tomorrow? Nope. (Spoiler: bad idea.) Now, could you run a marathon? For sure! But you have to start at manageable. Start by running a little bit each day, build up to that 5K, then the 10K, then the half-marathon.
Many of us spend our whole lives, wondering why we don’t experience miraculous moments of faith. The truth is, we’re not even ready to trust God in the little things. If we can’t trust God to provide for us, to lead us, to help us in our life decisions, how will we trust him in the miraculous moments? If we’re not willing to take the next step of faith, how will be ready for the leap of faith?
If we want the resurrected life that Jesus is offering, we need to be willing to step beyond our comfort zone. As long as we’re all comfy, we won’t need faith. We won’t be generous, because we don’t trust God with our finances. We won’t be gracious, because we don’t trust God’s grace in our own lives. We won’t dream big dreams for God because we don’t trust him to finish the good work he began.
So what is God asking you to do today? Is it a conversation you need to have? A text you need to send? Is it an act of kindness or generosity toward someone who is on your nerves? Or is it the simple act of setting aside time for God in a world that constantly demands your time?
Take the step, my friend, it’s so worth it.