Read Acts 20:22
After a long and fruitful ministry, it was time for Paul to leave. In his mind was the necessity of walking by faith as he hugged close friends farewell, standing on an Asian pier. Several of the men wept freely, realizing they would never see their beloved mentor again. The aging apostle looked from man to man, holding each one’s eyes for a brief moment. Then, looking out to sea with his weathered hand pointing south to the stormy skies above the Mediterranean, he voiced these words:
Now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me. (Acts 20:22)
In our hyper-efficient, GPS-guided culture, walking by faith is often considered weird, reckless, and irresponsible.
Yet that’s what this prospect called the Christian life is all about, isn’t it? We walk by faith, not by sight. We rely on what we are not able to see rather than what we can see.
God asks us to step out and trust without knowing how everything will unfold. Abraham and Paul did it. Peter did that on the stormy Sea of Galilee.
We walk by faith when we entrust our children to the Lord’s care as we send them off to college. We walk by faith when we follow the Lord’s leading to give a financial gift that is well beyond our means. We walk by faith when we refuse to lean on our own understanding and reach out lovingly to a hostile co-worker. That’s what faith looks like. Genuine, God-honouring faith.
Is God asking you to demonstrate such faith? Have you followed Him into a very uncertain future and it seems His voice has gone silent? Don’t waiver. Press on. Don’t panic. Trust Him. He knows what you need. He sees around the bend. He’s already there...waiting for you. Remember: He works the night shift.
Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord...Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.
The full devotional can be purchased at https://www.tyndale.com/p/good-morning-lord-can-we-talk/9781414380681.
