Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

“Jump, Iva, jump!” We all tried cheering my black Lab guide dog to jump across the curb into the car. She refused to step into the curb because hard rains had created a small creek running down the curb. Iva stood frozen, knowing she needed to get in the car, but afraid of the consequences.

I know Iva acts like a diva, but even this surprised me. My husband picked her up and put her in the car.

Is there something you don’t trust God about? Has He called you into something, but like Iva, you still refuse to take that leap of faith? Are you afraid of failure? Does fear keep you from taking that leap?

As a young teenage girl, Mary didn’t second guess God when the angel, Gabriel told her she would give birth to Jesus, the Messiah. She only asked how this great thing would occur.

Let’s unpack our Scripture for today, so we can all take that leap of faith. The key word in the first line is all. Most of us trust the Lord with most of our hearts, but not quite all our hearts.   We need to flex our faith muscle until we can trust the Lord with all things, even those things that cause us to hesitate like Iva standing on the sidewalk debating on how to get into the car.

We struggle to trust God with a complete faith because we lean on our own understanding. We feel uncertain and inadequate. We fail to consider how God will equip us to fulfill the task He has called us to.

We must be obedient to God, whether it’s a commandment out of the Bible or the purpose He has called us to.

Submission leads to fruition.

When we humbly submit to God, He will bring it to pass. If we stand there, like Iva, wandering how we can do it, our heavenly Father will not pick us up. Instead, He will enable us to do it without failure.

What have you been putting off? What leap of faith do you need to take? Tell God you are ready, trusting fully in Him with all your heart.

Heavenly Father, I stand here afraid to budge. I know what You want me to do, but I have made excuses. Today, that ends. I trust You with all my heart that You will equip me for the task at hand. Amen.

DIG DEEPER

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

HIKING THE TRAIL

What is the first step God wants you to take? Can you do it today or this week? I am praying for you, and I’d love to hear all about it.

RELATED RESOURCE

Get more inspiration from Iva in the Guide Dog Tales series. Learn the intricate details about working with a guide dog as your walk of faith becomes stronger with the encouraging and challenging devotionals. Learn more here.