Several years ago, I laid in a hospital bed facing a huge obstacle, and it was terrifying. I fell asleep that night praying for that obstacle to go away. I had a dream that I was outside looking at a huge, very dark, very large forest and my path lead right into the heart of it. Suddenly, Jesus appeared, and walked over to the edge of the darkness and said, "Are you able to follow Me this far?" I said yes, and I walked to the edge of the forest to Him, and there we stayed. Then I woke up. He was not asking me to walk the whole path, just that small step by His side. I woke up with a peace that was totally unexpected.
All of us have obstacles like this at one time or another. This one was certainly not the last for me, but it was the beginning of my understanding that He doesn't ask us to take on a huge situation or a long path all at once.
When we're standing there looking at this massive mountain ahead of us it can be overwhelming. And the longer I live and the more of these huge obstacles I see, I am convinced that it's not necessarily all about overcoming them.
Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Note that it says LAMP, not SPOTLIGHT.* He shows us the next step for us to take, not the whole path with all its twists and turns and offshoots. We don't know what's coming, but we have Jesus just ahead asking "Will you follow Me this far?" This next little step may stretch our faith, but maybe that's the point. One little do-able, faith-building step at a time.
Perhaps there's as much to be gained from the journey as overcoming the obstacle.
* from the faith-filled morning host at The House of Praise streaming radio.
