Keep Hope Alive
Walking in Faith
As believers, we are to follow God and “walk in faith” as He
leads. Proverbs 3:6 tells us, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him
and He shall direct your path.”
I admit… walking in faith… on the path God sets before me… is easier said than done.
Walking in faith is a true test of trust. We say we trust God and we know He has our best interest at heart, but when he gives us a direction that we are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with… trepidation quickly sets in. We become fearful to go there, as we believe we know what’s best for us… not God, our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent creator.
Our nature doesn’t want to relinquish control to anyone...even to God. We have a hard time surrendering to His will… not mine. Maybe that’s why Psalm 119:35 says, “Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, for I delight in it.” You would think… if we delight in it, we wouldn’t need to be “made to walk” in the path… we would willingly and joyfully do it. However, we’d rather have God line up with our plans, than surrender our plans to God’s will.
In addition to our fears, stemming from the lack of trust, there are other hindrances to walking in God’s path. We normally want to see far up the path…where we are headed, what the end objective is, and the potential problems along the way. God doesn’t usually reveal that much in advance. Psalm 119:105 states, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto thy path.” A lamp illuminates the area around us… just enough to see the next few steps and what lies immediately to our left or right. A lamp is not a beacon that shines far into the darkness.
When you can’t see far up the path, you tend to walk slower and more carefully. Unfortunately, this too can go against our nature. We often want to run and not walk. We are in a hurry to get to the end result… to make the goal. By rushing, we may miss many of the blessings that lie along the path of life.
The ministry of Gospel Rescue Mission is a walk of faith. We rely on God to meet our needs…physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially…and He does abundantly. We don’t have “long range goals and objectives”. We don’t try to see far down the path. We prayerfully take each day as it comes, as we walk in faith… one small step at a time.
However, as I look back upon the last half dozen years, I clearly see how God has tremendously grown this ministry in scope, quantity, and quality. It wasn’t our efforts and plans that got us to this point so that we could claim, “look at what WE did through our strategic plan.” Rather, it was just walking in faith and obeying, as God led and provided. As a result, it is truly “look at what God has done.” God gets the credit and glory… not us.
We are witnessing God’s leading once again, in the expansion of our Women and Children’s facility and ministry. We are walking… He is leading… He is providing the new facilities… and He will grant the finances to move forward. Praise God for allowing us to… Walk in Faith.
Roy E. Tullgren III serves as Director for Gospel Rescue Mission. Find out how you can get involved and make a difference by calling 740-1501.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
