Sometimes in our life, we would have prayed about a situation and heard from God about the next step we should take. Our job is to step out in faith and take the next step. When we step out in faith, we are often confronted by fear and all the ‘what ifs’ that will try to stop us from taking the path God has already shown us. Peter would not have experienced walking on water without stepping out from the boat. Matthew 14:33, “And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on water, and came toward Jesus” (New American Standard Bible). When we know God is asking us to take that next step, we can be sure He will be with us and guide us. We need to make sure our eyes are on Jesus and not our circumstances. Peter started to panic as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus. According to Matthew 14:30, “But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”. In the same way, if we take our eyes off Jesus when stepping out in faith, we might start to second-guess our decision to step out.
At our work Bible study group, we are studying the book of Joshua, and we all noticed that God asked Joshua and the Israelites to be strong and courageous at least four times in Joshua chapter 1. The Israelites were living in slavery, and God was taking them to the promised land, which was way better than their life in Egypt. But during the transition from slavery to the promised land, Israelites kept looking back and did not believe in what was ahead, so it took them 40 years to reach the promised land. So often, we get so comfortable where we are, just like the Israelites, and don’t want to take the next step. The journey to the promised land was not easy for the Israelites, but God promised that He would be with them and guide them.
A lot of times, it’s easier to stay where we are because we feel so comfortable and safe. God might be asking us to either move to a new state or step out and do something that no one has done before, or go ahead and take a new job or pursue higher education or do something that we feared to do. Whatever that is, it is our choice to either step out in faith and see what God has in store for us or be stuck in the same place and not experience everything God has for us. According to Hebrews 11: 1, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.”
