The Upper Room devotional reflection for Monday, January 9, 2023, was written by Kathleen R. Brewer from New Brunswick, Canada
3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:3-9 NRSV
SMALL STEPS OF FAITH
I love to plan for what is going to happen in the coming weeks or months. I also tend to get stuck in a rut doing the same ministry with people I already know. But recently I felt God leading me to try something new. God wanted me to take a small step of faith. Even though I knew I would be out of my comfort zone, I trusted that God would give me the strength and guidance to complete whatever God asked me to do.
That day my step of faith was to visit someone I didn’t know very well. I was really nervous, but I trusted God and went. I found the older woman was personable but very lonely. We had a wonderful chat, and I was thankful that I went to visit her. I felt blessed by our conversation, and I hope she felt the same. That visit was the first step of many more small steps of faith. When we allow God to lead us in new directions, God will show us small steps of faith that can make a world of difference.
Friends,
Often, we pray for God to bless us and provide us with opportunities to receive the things we desire. Yet, when God asks us to step outside our comfort zone’s we resist, even to the point of rigidly defying God’s directions. We create justifications for why we can’t bend or alter our personal preferences, instead we ask God to alter what is asked of us. If we’re honest with ourselves, we want God to do the maximum for us while we do the minimum or nothing at all for God.
Yes, trying something new and moving in a new direction is uncomfortable and frightening. Yet, what God asks us to do is take small steps of faith that grow into significant leaps of change. God recognizes our apprehension, doubts, and reluctance, but challenges us to trust that God is leading us to a better place. Ultimately, we must decide whether we will take small faith-filled steps with God, or set our feet in a place that God is leaving?
--Pastor Anthony
Prayer:
Almighty Father, lead us in new steps of faith, and give us courage as we step out of our comfort zones to serve you. We pray as your Son taught us, “Father, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4 NIV). Amen.
-- Kathleen R. Brewer