Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NASB)
Every Christian's life is marked by windows of opportunity that call for a profound step of faith in order to follow Christ and fulfill His agenda for their life. Whenever you take a risk, God is jumping at the opportunity to be there for you. He wants to use the risks you take with faith in order to benefit you. God uses your struggles to help you.
Taking risks can be terrifying simply because we have no idea what is going to happen. It is like walking into a storm blindfolded; you are not sure where things are headed, and that scares you. None of us are supposed to be comfortable with taking risks, but if there is no risk, there is no faith. And where there is no faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
If your walk with Christ is easy and comfortable, something is wrong. The journey includes hardships, and the obstacles you face and the risks you take are not supposed to be scarce. These things should be prominent in your life.
As believers, sometimes I get the feeling that we are getting a bit too comfortable in our walk. It sounds crazy, but our walk with Him is supposed to be taken with risk, not leisure. There is nothing better than taking a large leap of faith and discovering that God had you in His hands the entire way.
When we take a leap of faith, it is important that we do not take that leap carelessly. We must take our leaps with a demeanor of courage and fearlessness. We must also acknowledge that it is through God and God alone that we can develop an attitude that reflects our confidence in our Father. God is the only one who can properly equip us for the storm. We are sinners—weak ones at that—and the boldness required to take a risk is given to us from God. Such strength cannot simply be found within ourselves- only God can deliver it.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible takes place in Matthew 14, when Peter and the disciples are on the boat in the midst of a horrific storm and they see Jesus walking on water.
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. (Matthew 14:22-36 NASB)
Two major things occur in Matthew 14. First, we see that Peter takes a risk by stepping out onto the water when he had no knowledge of what would happen. We also discover Peter's little faith in the Lord when he starts to sink rather than stay on top of the water. The second thing we learn is what fascinates me the most about this story, and it is this: Regardless of the little amount of faith Peter had, Jesus would have been there for him either way.
God did not punish Peter for having little faith; He rewarded him for simply taking a risk.
God reveals different things to His believers as they study His Word. Something the Lord taught me after studying Matthew 14 repeatedly is this: God does not care if you are struggling or not. He will be there for you regardless of your state of mind. When you are at your lowest, He is there for you. When you are at your highest, He is there for you.
Ladies, take risks. God will never be able to fully reveal Himself if you are not willing to step out on a limb for Him. Yes, trust is hard, and many Christians struggle with it- myself included. However, when we take a deep breath and lunge in to the air with a leap of faith for the One who took the ultimate risk for us, we find ourselves inching closer to a refreshing sense of freedom.
The more you step out of the box, the more God will reveal Himself to you. Be a risk taker.
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