Today’s Verse
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Hebrews 11:8
One Step at a Time
I want the whole map. Before I take the first step, I want to see where the path leads, how long it will take, what obstacles I’ll face, and how it all ends. I want guarantees. I want certainty. I want to know it’s going to work out before I commit to following.
But that’s not how God usually leads.
Abraham is the perfect example. God told him to leave everything familiar and go to a land he’d never seen. The instructions were simple: “Go.” No map. No itinerary. No promise of easy travel. Just “Go, and I’ll show you when you get there.” And somehow, Abraham went. He packed up his entire life and started walking, trusting that God would reveal the destination as he followed.
I’m not naturally wired for that kind of faith. I want clarity before obedience. I want to see step ten before I take step one. But God rarely works that way. He gives me enough light for the next step, not the next ten. Just one. And He asks me to trust that He’ll illuminate the path as I walk it.
Here’s what I’m learning: waiting for complete clarity is often just another way of refusing to trust. If I could see the whole path, I wouldn’t need faith. I’d be walking by sight, not by faith. And that’s not what God is after.
Today, I don’t have to see the whole journey. I just need to take the next step He’s showing me. Trust that He’s guiding me. Believe that His presence with me matters more than my ability to see what’s ahead. He’s faithful to those who follow, even when the path isn’t clear.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, give me courage to follow when the path isn’t clear, when I can only see the next step and everything beyond that is shrouded in uncertainty.
I struggle with not knowing where this leads, with taking steps without seeing the full picture, with trusting when I can’t trace the outcome.
Teach me that following You has always required walking by faith, not by sight, that clarity often comes one step at a time rather than all at once.
You’re asking me to trust You enough to take the next step even when I can’t see the destination, to believe Your guidance is enough even when the path ahead is unclear.
Help me remember that Abraham went without knowing where he was going, that the Israelites followed a cloud and a pillar of fire through wilderness, that Your people have always walked unclear paths by faith.
Remind me that You don’t owe me clarity before I obey, that sometimes the path becomes clear only as I walk it, that waiting for certainty can be another way of refusing to trust.
Give me courage to follow even when I’m scared, to take the next step even when I don’t know what comes after, to trust Your leading more than I trust my need for control.
Let me walk this unclear path today with courage, knowing that Your presence with me matters more than my ability to see ahead, and that You’re faithful to guide those who follow.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.