Faith to Fall

"I don’t think I can go any higher.” I glanced down at my friends, saw how far away the floor was, and gripped the handholds more tightly. I was regretting my decision to go rock climbing. “Okay,” my friend Natalie called, “then just push off.”

Push off? I doublechecked the clip on my harness and glanced at the ceiling. Could I really count on the automatic belay to hold me when I launched off the rock wall? Natalie had promised that I could trust it. But I wasn’t so sure.

Slowly, carefully, I began climbing back down. It was tedious, but surely it was better than letting go of the wall. That was my mind’s one security.

As I inched my way down the course, my face flushed with embarrassment. I knew it was foolish to try to climb down. My friends were waiting on me. The best thing to do would be to trust the rope and push off the wall. I hesitated, clinging to the handholds. I knew I could trust the rope, but I didn’t feel secure away from the wall. Finally, with a little shriek, I grabbed the rope and launched off, heart leaping to my throat.

And, just like Natalie had said, the automatic belay gently lowered me to the ground. There had been nothing to fear.

Sometimes in life, I find myself in situations where I need to let go of my fears and trust God’s promises. Although I know that God is trustworthy, there are times when I lean on my own understanding to handle life’s uncertainties. In these times, God gently reminds me that He is with me, and He gives me the faith to fall. I may not always feel secure, but I can always trust the One who is holding me. • Siera Weber

• How is it different to take someone’s word for it that something is trustworthy, and to actually experience for ourselves that we can trust it?

• Have you ever had an experience that helped you know/feel that God is trustworthy?

• Sometimes, we might feel ashamed when it’s difficult to trust God. But God doesn’t condemn us, He has compassion on us and helps us. What are some of God’s promises that we can lean on through life’s difficulties? (Hint: Matthew 28:20; Romans 10:9-11;Ephesians 2:4-10; Hebrews 13:5; Revelation 21:1-5) How can we gently remind each other of God’s trustworthiness?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT) 

READ: PSALM 37:5; PROVERBS 3:5; ISAIAH 26:3-4; 1 PETER 5:6-7