Stepping in Faith; Unlocking Your Destiny Through Obedience

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

1 Corinthians 5:7

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In childlike ignorance, only in the grown-up form, I had envisioned the Christian life to be a mountain climb followed by plateau living…a happily ever after story of sorts. Having all that I wished, uh-uhm, I mean, prayed for, all that I wanted, happiness for everyone all around.

Have you ever seen a mountain range, or better, attempted a climb? A hike marked by elevation change along with miles. The up and down, habitats dependent upon elevation and whether the land receives the gentleness of the morning sun or the beating of the afternoon sun. Above the tree line, a landscape marked by stubbled growth, if any growth at all. And yet you climb, because prior to starting there has been a plan made for a destination marked with maps and apps, preparation and packing. As the trek gains in difficulty the eyes turn more frequently to the destination, that which appears to be close, but in reality requires more endurance than originally anticipated.

Once achieving your destination, perhaps you will stay for a while. If you are an early bird and willing to start well before dawn, a sunrise will beckon you to the top. But no matter what time you start or how long it takes, the destination promises something you have not encountered before, something that brings a great deal of anticipation and something that pushes you further as your feet begin to rub raw, your tummy starts to grumble, and cramps crawl up the back of your legs.

Turns out, the mountain top is not a place to take up residence, just a place to visit. The top is actually quite barren, populated with rocks, brush and thin air. But the view, where your eyes see for the first time where you have come from, and potential for where you may go, is quite something. From here, it is likely that a seed will land in your soul a desire to climb again.

And this is what it is like living the Christian life, a slow, often arduous climb, requiring preparation, planning, endurance. It requires a concentrated focus on where to land a foot, a willingness to move beyond present circumstances, a discipline to feed on that which will sustain you to continue on. Eyes often lifting to the marked destination.

I read of the ancient heroes whose lives are etched on the pages of scripture and it is easier to associate their names with mountain top views than with the preparation required to make the climb. Noah gazing at a rainbow receiving an eternal promise, Moses parting the sea and meeting God to receive the Ten Commandments, Joshua conquering city after city to take up occupancy in the Promised Land, and David taking down a giant and being a King. None of these heroes reached the mountain top view without first climbing.

In just this handful of Biblical heroes what is it that led them to their destination, their place in a hallmark chapter of faith giants, Hebrews Chapter 11?

• First, to give honor where honor is due, God chose them, each one, to do their hero work (Ephesians 2:10).
• Each found favor in the eyes of God. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). While the LORD was searching He found a man living righteously in the midst of a corrupt city, and He asked that man to build a boat (Genesis 6:13-14). Generations later, He found a man tending flocks in a land that was not his own, and asked that man to lead His people (Exodus 3:1, 10). The LORD continued His search and found that leader an apprentice and grew him to be a warrior (Exodus 17). And still later, He finds a young man tending sheep and tells him he will be a king of a kingdom that will not end (1 Samuel 16:12).
  • And still much, much later, perhaps He has found you and has set you apart for a work accomplished only through a faith giant.
• They stepped in faith. Noah built a ship of gopher wood where there was no standing water. Moses led a nation of grumbling people who did not want to be led. Joshua fought battles he could not win. And David? Well, David was just a shepherd kid, the youngest in a family of 8 brothers, and he threw a stone to take down a giant and grew to be a king.
  • What direction have you been given that does not quite make sense?
• Each man endured the climb. Daily they moved in the direction of their destination, their place among the giants. Noah floated in rain for forty days, waiting on the stinking ship for floodwaters to recede. Moses walked for forty years, patiently enduring the rebuilding of a nation. Joshua waited forty years for a generation to pass away. David served another king for fifteen years before taking the promised throne.
  • What is it that carries you through an enduring season?
• Each man chose to take hold of a promise, something they did not have or could not see, and chose to stay a course they did not know (Hebrews 11:1-2).
  • What promise are you holding onto?
• Each man chose to be obedient. And here it is, the simple kicker. Choose obedience, in the little things, in the big things, in the everyday things (Deuteronomy 8). This is our contribution to the grand scheme, the grand adventure, our preordained destiny, willful obedience.
  • What steps of obedience are you taking today?

Small obedient steps result in great big impact.

I have observed that each faith climb leads me to something new, something that had previously been left undiscovered. This knowledge, the promise of something, fuels me past the burn, the boredom (yes, sometimes the climb is boring), past the arduousness of it all. A truth or perspective that comes only after the struggle. A seed that lands in my soul and begins to prepare me for another climb.