God calls us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), something which inevitably involves risk (someone once said ‘Faith is spelled R-I-S-K’) and leaves us with stomachs churning and hearts beating faster than normal. Following God is exhilarating, exciting and challenging, but it is also, at times, like stepping out on water (knowing rationally that water will not support walking). It’s not for the faint-hearted, as these songs amply demonstrate: ‘Crazy Faith‘ (John Waller) and ‘Only The Brave’ (Tim Hughes.) Nonetheless, it’s the only way which pleases God: ‘without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’ (Heb 11:6)
The farmer who sows seed believing that a harvest will come does so by faith. There is nothing in the kernel of grain to encourage us that enough wheat will come to feed families, yet as we wait patiently for the harvest, God works in ways that confound us. God’s ways will always leave us at least mildly perplexed, for His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom and His ways of working cannot be fathomed by reason and logic alone. Our part is to trust God, take Him at His word and step out in faith. The rest is up to God.