anything you can do, faith can do better
"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" Luke 1:45
The gift was from Mom: a water-colored glass tile that swirled with design and read the words: “Leap and the net will appear.” She knew I was struggling to trust God fully at this point, and gave it to me as a nudge to take the plunge into complete surrender. Blessed is she who believed.
I needed to "be courageous enough to acknowledge with my entire body, soul, and spirit that there's utterly no one like God."
Eventually, and not without sweating with fear, I agreed that the benefits of leaping out in complete faith and surrender would outweigh the unknown of what lie ahead if I stood still. I said yes to receiving God's extension of grace- believing there would be a fulfillment of promises. And then, there I was, full of joy, falling in a fresh wind of freedom.
Though a memorable picture of trust that took place five years ago, I still find myself standing on the edge of the "faith cliff" daily with opportunities to choose to believe- and it's still challenging. I can choose to stand paralyzed with fear, and then I am stuck. I can choose to rely on my own control and decide when and where I jump... and that rarely looks pretty, though God will always restore the outcome into something good (Romans 8:28).
But, when I jump in faith without the physical sign of a safety net, "believing that there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to me from the Lord", He catches me and lifts me to higher heights for my joy and for His glory. Blessed is she who believed.
What leap of faith is God asking you to take today? Maybe it’s a change you want to make, or an area of your life that you want to release control of. Maybe He is asking you to step into action, or maybe He is asking you to wait and be still (which is a form of "leaping"). It's as if He is always inviting us into this: "don't try to control this situation yourself, but let Me show you My power as I catch you, sometimes when you least expect it. Then you will be amazed!" (Mark 1:27)
How much sweeter to look back at life's events and be able to see His magnificent and beautiful and mighty hand-print painted in and through and all around the circumstance, rather than just our lone, tiny fingerprint painting the picture ourselves? He is always there of course, but we have to cooperate with Him and hand over the paintbrush.
Let's be people who leap out in faith because we believe in His promises, even when we can't see what will catch the fall. Let Your King be the one to control the leap, as he promises to bless and amaze you.
"As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring showers that water the earth"- Hosea 6:3. Blessed is she who believed.
“Now faith is confidence in what
we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."
2 Thessalonians 3:3
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23
"If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself."
2 Timothy 2:13