A Stair but Not the Whole Staircase
How do you know when to make a move? When to take that step and just do “it,” whatever “it” happens to be? It can be hard to know when to do “it,” especially when you’re trying to discern God’s will if He indeed wants you to do “it.”
I’ve had to take many calculated risks over the years- moving to another country, deciding whether I should take job A or job B, deciding if I should speak up or keep quiet, etc. But, as I have taken some chances I am getting better at understanding how God is guiding me in doing so. When I look back on the chances I have taken, I see that God was with me all along. He gave me a stair but didn’t show me the whole staircase. The stair was reassurance, it was peace that I could continue forward in “its” direction.
I think sometimes we’re waiting for God to do everything, to show us and to tell us every move we ought to make. But sometimes, I think God is saying, “instead of pushing that door, pull it, walk boldly onwards- I’ve given you a stair, and I will be with you!”
Do you recall when the angle of the Lord met Gideon, under the oak tree in Ophrah and instructed Gideon to save Israel out of the Midianites’ hand? When the angel appeared to Gideon he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Those words should have been enough- “The Lord is with you.” But, Gideon gave excuses as to why he wasn’t the right one for the job. Then, he proceeded to ask God for 2 signs to know if it was God Who was really instructing him. But God was patient with Gideon and Gideon defeated the Midianites.
Gideon’s stair was the angle showing up saying, “the Lord is with you.” God was patient with him and gave him another stair, the fleece test (Judges 6: 36-40). Gideon was hesitant to move forward to do “it,” which was defeat the Israelites.
We are like Gideon sometimes and when we are, we’re holding our own success back. The “it” can be a really scary decision, but sometimes we have to do “it” and trust the stair that God is showing us. He may not show us the whole staircase but the stair should be enough and we can trust Him that the second, third, fourth and so on stairs will be there as we move forward. Trust is required when we trust the one stair, knowing we can’t see the whole staircase.