Faith is a beautiful word — until it is your turn to use it! Many of us love to talk about faith, but when God says, “Step out,” that is when the heart starts pounding, and the knees get weak. We sometimes sing this familiar song, “I will trust in the Lord,” until the Lord says, “Quit your job,” “Forgive that person,” or “Give, even when you do not have much.” Suddenly, that song tends to get a little quieter! Hebrews 11:1(KJV) defines faith as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith means trusting God when you don’t have all the evidence, when the path isn’t lit, and when the outcome isn’t clear. Faith means you move because God said so, not because everything looks comfortable. “God told Abram, ‘Leave your country and go to a land I will show you’” (Genesis 12:1 MSG). Abraham had no GPS, no moving truck, or no clear destination, just distinct instructions from God to go. Abraham obeyed because faith says, “If God leads, He will provide.” Further, consider Peter. Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter actually stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:29). We often laugh because Peter started sinking, but let’s be clear; at least Peter got out of the boat! The rest of the disciples were still clinging to the edge, probably whispering, “You go first!” Faith sometimes means doing what looks foolish to the world because you trust what God said more than what you see. Then there’s the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25–34). She didn’t have an appointment or a guarantee, but she said, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment…” That’s faith that refuses to sit down! Faith is not pretending everything’s perfect. It is believing God is still in control when everything else is not. It’s holding on when the miracle hasn’t shown up yet. It’s saying, “Lord, I don’t see it, but I still trust You.” Sometimes, faith will stretch you. It will take you out of your comfort zone. You may feel like that tightrope walker who looked down and said, “Lord, if You wanted me to walk by faith, couldn’t You at least have given me a safety net?” However, faith reminds us that God Himself is our safety net! The Word says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God …” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). So if your situation feels impossible, you are right where faith begins. Faith doesn’t make things easy; it makes them possible. What has God told you to step out to do, that fear and doubt have kept you from doing? It might just be that your next miracle is waiting on your next step of faith. Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
