The next step

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that faith is not being able to see the whole staircase; rather, it is seeing and taking the next step.

It's hard to move ahead when we don't know what the outcomes will be. And, we seldom know what the outcomes will be. Yet we are compelled by things like time and circumstance to move forward, even when we don't feel like we can see clearly.

In the New Testament Book of Hebrews, the writer says that faith "is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). This means that faith sometimes makes up the difference between what we can see in front of us and what we hope to have occur in the future. However, this faith is not simply a "blind faith." Believers have a "track record" to go by to help us gauge what to do next.

The "substance" referred to in Hebrews 11:1 is assurance. While we cannot always be assured of the exact outcomes of the challenges in our lives, we can trust the compassionate heart of God and the support of God and of those who love us. With that in mind, we can move ahead, despite our fears, taking one step at a time, recognizing that God's love for us and God's plans for us can find a way, even against almost insurmountable odds. That kind of belief is called faith. It is not a magic potion; it's a trust in the ways of God.

Another old saying goes, "When you can't trace God's hand, trust God's heart." God does not delight in our difficulties. However, God is present in these times, guiding us along the next step of the staircase.

When we trust God's love and intentions for us, it makes the difficulties more manageable. It also helps us grow along the way, even when we have made mistakes. Throughout history, men and women have chosen to trust God even after times of failure and even during times of crisis. What they have found is what Dr. King and others have found: God can lead us one step at a time, and we can trust God with our future by trusting God with our next step.