A leap of faith

One of the most stirring scenes in the "Indiana Jones" films comes in "The Last Crusade" (which, ironically, didn't end up being the final crusade) when Indiana Jones is trying to get to the Holy Grail and he gets to a spot where he has to cross a seemingly uncrossable valley. After a few moments of weigh the options, he takes a step forward. His faith is rewarded by an unseen bridge that guides his path and helps him complete his quest.

All of us face a seemingly uncrossable valley at some point in our lives. And all of us must decide whether we will step forward or retreat. That was one of the things that resonated strongly with me after Sunday's message.

Graham talked about the "Shalom of Going Forward." In the Scripture, Moses faced that leap of faith moment. God called him to step out of his comfort zone and lead the people out of Israel. Moses felt totally unprepared and unequipped to do that, and he tried to look for a way out of it. But, ultimately, Moses accepted God's call. As it says in Exodus 4:20, "So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand."

What would that story have been like if Moses would have run back into the dessert? Not quite as inspiring, certainly.

There is another part of that story too. No matter what challenges Moses faced, or what short comings he felt he had in that position, God provided. He gave Moses Aaron as a co-leader, he gave him a staff, and he sent the plagues to make a convincing argument for Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

This is how God works in our lives. We might not all be asked to lead a nation to freedom, but at some point we will all be asked to step out of our comfort zone in service to His kingdom. How we respond to that call helps define our lives and our faith. When you look at the Bible, those that ran away from God's call never felt satisfied, peaceful or free. Sometimes, like with Jonah, they ended up in desperate places. But when people stood tall and answered the call despite their uneasy feelings, God gave them the tools to succeed.

So that is our challenge. When God calls, we have to answer. If God calls you to a mission or ministry he always gives you the tools, gifts, or skills needed to see it through, all we have to do is step out in faith.