Walking by Faith

The other day I heard a simple statement that caught my attention … "Faith is more about the small steps than it is about the large leaps." How true that is, it's more about the daily moments of trusting than it is about removing the "mountains" before us. How often have we felt despair because we didn't have a "great faith" like Peter to walk on water. We desire a “great faith” like the three Hebrew boys Shadrach, Meshach and Abidnigo, who stood firm in their faith while being thrown into the fire. We yearn for a “great faith” like Daniel facing the lions in the den. We read about the many different people in the Bible and wonder if we will ever reach the status of "faith-filled."

I believe we question ourselves and beat ourselves up in regards to our "faith" or lack of "faith" in God because we know the amount of times that we break our promises to God and each other. All of us promised at our moment of conversion, that Jesus would have our lives forever, but … we promised God our lips would always bear witness of the goodness we have experienced … we promised Jesus that our time would be His to do with as he pleased, … we promised to be faithful stewards of God’s blessings in our lives. The list could go on, but we all get the point! So how do we get back up and walk the walk of faith? We must begin to once again be people who take small steps of faith fully trusting that our faith will grow with each step we take.

Recognize that like all others, we make our promises in the warmth of Jesus' fellowship and break the promises while separated from Christ. We make the promise during the time of gentle breeze and warm sunlight, and break them when the cold storm winds begin to blow and darkness begins to fall. So you may say, "What are we to do?" The answer is to take the small steps of faith and stay in the presence of God. If we do so then we have the promise found in Hebrews 13:5-6 to hold on to … “...for He Himself said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, ....we confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid, What shall man do to me?" We too need to hear the words Joshua spoke to the Hebrews who were preparing to enter the Promised Land. He encouraged them to “…choose this day whom you will be faithful too…” We need the same commitment and mindset understanding that we will not fail because God will help us and will be with us. A saint from a past century wrote these trustworthy words of encouragement to walk by faith. “Though the fire may rage, the tempest storm, the water rise, I shall walk on through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil, for my God is with me.” So let me encourage each one with these words … take small steps of faith daily and with each step you will find that you are one step closer to the completing your mission of “Making and maturing disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

In closing, remember keep the praises high, the worship of God deep, the affection for each other flowing and the pursuing of faith strong.

Rev. Dr. Gordon Myers