“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Deep, right?
I know. I wish I would have come up with it, but, unfortunately, these words are not mine. They belong to the late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the quote above, Dr. King gives us a clear definition of what faith is. Faith, according to him, is the ability to do something when it doesn’t make sense to. It’s the ability to trust God when our circumstances tell us not to. It’s what Peter did when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus. Or what Abraham did when God told him to leave his home to go to an unknown land.
You see, as human beings, we are constantly striving to be in control. It’s a natural part of who we are. When we were created, God himself commanded us to have dominion over the things around us. So, it’s natural for us to want to control our surroundings.
The problem is that we forget where the source of power comes from. We think we control our own lives and destinies. Despite what the world tells us, true power does not come from our own abilities, but rather from those given to us by God. In fact, ironically, true power and control doesn’t come through being the toughest, smartest, fastest, strongest, etc. Rather, they come through characteristics typically considered to be weak – humility, submission, and meekness.
See, Dr. King's quote hits on something that many of us have not learned. As much as we try to plan out our own destinies, ultimately, we are not in control. God is. No matter how hard we try, we will never know enough, plan enough, prepare enough, or be strong enough to handle every storm that comes our way. There will always be situations that arise that we will not be able to handle on our own. It is God’s way of showing us that we are not Him. We cannot do everything by ourselves. In fact, we cannot do anything by ourselves.
But that’s where faith comes in. Like Dr. King said, “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” It’s trusting in God even when our own minds tell us not to. It’s doing what He tells you to do even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. This is what we mean when we say “stepping out on faith.” And here is where true power lies.
God bless,
J.W.
