Light for the Next Step

Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, “How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.” —Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

Walk by faith is an admonition we frequently hear from the pulpit, but what does it look like in practice? Nouwen’s thought above is a pretty good picture. We want to walk by sight—seeing clearly not only the destination before us but also the steps along the way. Yet our God calls us to follow Him in faith, believing. The writer of Hebrews gave us this definition: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb. 11:1). Confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what is unseen! To be sure, this walk of faith requires us to ascertain what it is we hope for and long to see. Where do we make these discoveries? In living a spiritual life; pursuing truth in God’s Word, lending our hearts and lives to the Potter’s will and skill to craft as He pleases; and walking in response to these revelations. I know that sounds like a lot of work. Jesus, however, assured us that His burden is light. It’s simply surrender; “letting go and letting God” as the popular recovery slogan goes; submitting to the revelation He’s given us and trusting in Him to bring it to pass in our lives. Let us pray for such pliable hearts and wills, that we might sense His direction and submit our lives to Him, savoring the glory of our God in our lives and hearts. —DH