When God Asks Us to Take a Step or Fall of Faith

     When I was about 7 or 8, our pastor asked for a volunteer for his sermon illustration.  I raised my hand not knowing what His plan for me was.  He asked me to stand up on the first pew with my back towards him.  "Now, cross your arms and close your eyes.  When I say ready, I want you to fall backwards and I will catch you."

     That seemed easy enough to me, until I heard his voice somewhere in the auditorium say,

"OK, Hannah, fall back."

"No,"  I rejected, worried.  "You won't catch me."

"Yes, I will.  I promise I won't let you fall."

     I knew that he was no longer standing behind me, how could he catch me?  I was scared and began to cry as the congregation encouraged me to do what I thought was impossible.  Then I heard my pastor say,

"Hannah, open your eyes and see who is standing behind you."

    I turned to see My Dad who had been there all along, waiting for me to trust him although unseen...waiting to catch me.  How foolish I felt in not trusting and disappointed that I had missed this opportunity for my Dad to catch me.

     How often are we like this?  The pastor challenges us to submit to God's will or God says,

"Would you do this for Me?"

"Sure, I will do that for You, God, " you say.

     Then we find out what God wants us to do.  First, it may seem easy enough or maybe right away the difficulties are apparent.  Finally as we're ready to do what God has asked of us and we're starting to pursue it, we begin to doubt God's plan: we're too scared, it seems just too hard, we convince ourselves someone else is more capable than we are, we think it won't work.  So we give up and feel foolish for missing out on an opportunity.  We are saddened and disappointed when we look back to see that our heavenly Daddy was there behind us all along…waiting,  waiting for us to trust Him even though we could not see Him...waiting to catch us.  Sometimes in life obeying God may mean that we are going to fall, but that is when God steps in to show us that He is there.  When we think it is ridiculously impossible, His Word and our brothers and sisters in Christ encourage us to do it anyway.  God is there to catch us and to show His power through our life.  *The One who loves us and gave Himself for us is in charge of our lives.  In ordinary circumstances and impossible situations, God can reveal His power. 

      Take a moment to reflect on God doing the impossible in the lives of people recorded in the Bible.  Think of Noah, what if God didn't make it rain like He said He would.  Noah really would have been the biggest fool in His day, but he wasn't.  What about Abraham?  He was 100 and Sarah in her 90s.  Surely God's promise of a son would not come true, but it did!  Many times the Royal line of David could have been wiped out, but God preserved it so this promise of the Messiah coming from this family would come true.  In Acts 12:1-11, we find Peter in Jail on a death sentence because of His faith.  Yet, he was asleep, willing to die for Christ, trusting God that He knew what was best.  Peter thought it was a dream when the Angel from God released him and even those praying for his deliverance were surprised to see him at the door.

     Don't be afraid to do God's will, if His word and His people are confirming this to you.  Sometimes you have to take that step or fall in faith, trusting in our God to make the impossible, possible!  Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

*Our Daily Bread, Aug. 21, 2013