Trusting beyond the first step

Often we find that all of our attention and focus is on that first step out of the boat.  And we forget about the steps that follow.  When God asks us to obey, step out of our comfort zone and follow Him, it often requires a new level of trust.  And for me, that usually looks like diligent seeking and desperate clinging to Him.  However, once I take that first step out of the boat and began taking those faith steps into the unknown...too often that diligent seeking begins to wane and my desperate clinging slowly loosens its grip. 

The story of Peter walking on the water has always spoken to me.  I want to stand up and cheer for Peter when he takes that first step out of the boat.  He knew Jesus and had seen His power, and he trusted that when Jesus said "Come", He would make a way.  The story also challenges me with the importance of keeping my focus on Jesus.  Because it wasn't until Peter took his eyes off Jesus that he began to sink.

God demonstrated this to me in a powerful way last week.  One morning as I was getting everyone ready for their day and sending them out the door, I could feel the Lord nudging me that I needed some time alone with Him.  Life was going a million miles an hour and I was running on empty.  I could also feel the anxiety beginning to creep in about the funds needed for our Nepal trip.   As I sat down for some one-on-one time with God, I found myself in Isaiah 26 and quickly focused in on verses 3 and 4.  This is what I read:

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind 

[both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he 

commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.

⁴ So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; 

for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].

As I read those verses, I could feel the Lord gently challenging me about where my mind was stayed and focused.  In verse 4, it says to trust in the Lord forever.  This is not a one-time trust when we have to take that first step of faith...but this is a continual, day by day, sometimes minute by minute trust.  And this requires keeping our mind stayed on Him...committing ourselves to Him, leaning on Him and hoping confidently in Him.  Every step of the way!

When we first felt God calling us to go to Nepal, it was a huge step of faith.  To be honest, finances was the biggest step of faith for us (or at least me!).  For just one of us to go was a large financial commitment, but for three of us to go...that was going to require a seemingly impossible amount of money.  Yet we felt so strongly that He was calling us, and after much prayer and counsel we took that first step.  Almost immediately God began providing and confirming our decision, and I honestly just coasted on that for awhile.  Provision was coming in and less than two weeks after sending out our first letters, we already had 44% of our total!  And without even realizing it, I began loosening my desperate grip on God and slowly falling into my routine of take charge and make it happen.   I found myself consumed with trying to brainstorm ways we could raise the remaining funds.  And that's when the anxiety began to creep in.

That morning, as I sat there reading Isaiah 26, the Lord lovingly reminded me that I needed to trust Him every step of the way, not just for that first step.   That He would provide and that I could hope confidently in Him...because He was trustworthy!   The rest of my day was busy, filled with work and meetings and shuttling kids here and there, but the truths that God had spoken to my heart that morning carried me all day.  That afternoon, on my way home, I checked our mailbox and spotted one of our "Nepal donation" envelopes mixed in the mail.  I opened it to find a large donation that brought us to 85% of our total goal.  

Overwhelmed.  Speechless.  Grateful.  Wonderstruck.
The emotions were tumbling all over themselves.

 Yet staring at that donation slip, I couldn't help but thank God for the sweet communion we had shared that morning.  God knew that donation was already on its way...yet He wanted to speak to my heart, remind me of His truths and refocus my mind before it arrived. 

God is trustworthy.

We can hope confidently in Him.

All He asks is that we trust...and not just for that first step, but for every step along the way. 



{for more information on our trip, click on the "Nepal" tab at the top of this blog or click here and if you would like to donate to our trip, click the "Donate" tab or click here}