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The Bible teaches us that as Christ-followers, we have to walk by faith not by sight. That means sometimes we have to take a risk, step out of the boat like Peter did, in order to walk where Jesus invites us. I’m talking about stepping out of our boats this week, and some things I’ve learned in my years of following Christ. Think about this:
- Obedience is more important to God than your comfort.
I believe that God sometimes withholds information from us and takes away our security blankets because he’s teaching us the simple discipline of obeying. If you’re trying to cross all your t’s and dot all your i’s before you step out of the boat, you’ll probably be sitting there a long time! Sure, we need to do our due diligence and not foolishly charge ahead without making adequate plans. But seeing every turn in the road ahead just never happens with God. He shows us enough light for the next step.
The Bible says that the Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. We don’t walk blindly ahead, but we take it one step at a time, walking through the open doors even when we’re not quite sure what’s on the other side. Control freaks will have difficulty walking by faith, because it requires that you trust God all the way and relinquish the control into his hands. Psalm 91 is good for the faith walker—it says that God will cover us and his faithfulness will be our shield and defense. Quoting verse 9: “If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Psalm 91:9-10). When you step out of the boat, God has your back.
And consider this:
- Often God’s will is for us to make some decisions.
Making decisions is one way we grow and learn. So, there will be times when you simply will not have any great emotional confirmation or direction, but you will be faced with a decision that you must make, based on your knowledge of Scripture and the wisdom that God promises to give us.
That means, of course, that you are taking a risk—the risk that you could make the wrong decision. You could absolutely fall on your face. In fact, if you haven’t fallen on your face once or twice, my guess is, you haven’t done much! Asking God to give us clear, unmistakable signs—like Gideon of old—is not an act of faith. It is a sign that we really don’t want to walk by faith; it is evidence that we are controlled by our fears.
So, is God showing you that he wants you to step out of the boat? What’s keeping you from taking the next step?