Stretch Out

Change can be scary.

There are changes in our lives we welcome—buying a new home, landing our dream job, getting married to the love of our life.

There are changes in our lives we don’t welcome—moving away from family and friends, getting laid off, the death of a close friend.

Then there are the changes we aren’t really sure about. These changes may hold great promise, but depend upon us to make decisions and take steps that fall entirely outside of our comfort zone. To make it even more difficult, there is no real assurance of the final outcome.

In my personal experience, when God wants to do great things in my life, He presents me with the final category of change. He asks me to do something with zero evidence that it will turn out okay other than a quiet reassurance in my spirit (which, let’s be real, doesn’t feel entirely reassuring when what He has asked you to do defies all human logic!). That isn’t to say He can’t work in my life using other types of change. But the greatest spiritual growth seems to come when He has thrown the ball squarely in my court and it falls on me to either obey His promptings or run scared in the other “safer” direction.

We see this scenario playing out in Joshua chapter 1. Moses had passed away, the original generation of faithless and fearful Israelites was gone, and God was giving the new generation their marching orders. In verse 3 he tells them: “I will give you every place where you set your foot.”

God made a huge promise to the Israelites. Every place they set their feet would be theirs!

But there was a catch.

They had to stretch out their feet and set them someplace new. They had to leave what was familiar and choose to face the unfamiliar. They had to step out into strange places against terrifyingly giant people who outnumbered them and were physically stronger than they were. On paper, none of it made sense. To the world, they probably looked crazy. But if they were willing to step out in faith and believe in God’s promise, they would finally receive their inheritance.

Similarly today, God asks us to do things that make no sense to us. We may feel Him prompting us to walk away from an incredible opportunity or to uproot ourselves from what seems like a pretty good life. The promise is an even more abundant life on the other side. But we can’t see it from where we are, so we hesitate.

We know that God has wonderful plans for our lives and that the only way to see them realized is to obey when He calls. But fear often prevents us from claiming the blessing of God’s promise, just as it did that first generation of Israelites. We can have anything our feet touch in accordance with God’s will, but rather than believing His promises and boldly stepping out in obedience, we hesitate on the edges, afraid to stretch out our feet to the unknown.

Does it feel like the Holy Spirit is prompting you to make a change in your life? Are you hesitating to move forward? I encourage you to prayerfully search your heart and figure out why. Is it fear that is holding you back? If so, what is it about the change that is making you fear it more than you trust God? Or perhaps it’s pride—it’s hard to admit even to ourselves, but we often feel deep down that we know better than God, so we stubbornly hold on to what we think is best instead of trusting God for our best.

There is no greater joy than a life lived in obedience to God’s will. If you are finding it difficult to be obedient, keep in mind God never asks us to do things that will make us miserable! Romans 12:2 clearly describes God’s will as “good, pleasing and perfect.” He has great plans for us—we just need to trust Him and stretch out our feet.