Recently I was accepted to be part of a core team of church planters…planting a church in downtown Annapolis.  I have wanted to plant churches for such a long time, but for some reason, my inclination with regards to this particular mission was to run away from, not toward the opportunity at hand.  I spent most of the summer “seeking” God and his place for me, not committing to, but rather exploring several opportunities that had come to the surface.  My “seeking” probably looked more like a dog chasing its own tail in the midst of a dense fog.  I got no where fast and felt like I was going in circles between all the amazing options before me.    

I wanted to know certainty.
I wanted to know how it would work.
I wanted to understand the impact each decision would have on friendships.
I wanted God to show me the final picture of this completed puzzle that is my life when all he seems to offer is 1 piece at a time. 

What I really wanted was everything that can’t possibly co-exist with faith…without of course diminishing the very definition of faith…allowing me to not step or live in faith, but rather moving within the realms of certainty…knowing that everything would be okay.  

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”.   (Hebrews 11:1).  

Unfortunately, following God rarely ever involves certainty…at least not in the ways or areas we wish certainty to exist.  Actually, Christians are called to live by faith.  And as a friend of mine recently expressed to me: certainty, not doubt, is the antithesis of faith.  I completely agree. 

In Hebrews we begin to see a little piece of what Faith looks like.  It’s about believing in God’s character and that he is who he says he is.  In our limited perceptions, we often look for God to give us certainty that following this or that will result in some given, certain outcome.  Our views are so limited to this time and this earth.  Yet faith, is beyond that…faith is more than believing that God will make you rich, or that God will keep you cancer free…Faith involves an eternal perspective that trusts in our Lord and moves through life, persevering in spite of what we see around us today.  Faith is something that recognizes that regardless of our changing circumstances, our Lord remains unchanged and is still working for His Glory.

My step of faith was trusting God as I walked through the door of church planting.  I didn’t feel how I thought I should feel, I didn’t know what it will look like or how I will even be used.  Regardless, I know God has put this before me…my job is to have faith and walk in obedience…His job is to make things happen…  My faith tells me He will.