He's Not Done: Take the Big Step

HELP · HOPE · HOME

He's Not Done.

Take the Big Step.

When was the last time God asked you to do something that made absolutely no sense — and you did it anyway? Not because you had all the answers, not because you could see how it would work out, but simply because you trusted him enough to take the step?

If you're anything like me, that question lands somewhere uncomfortable. Because if we're being real, most of us spend a lot of energy waiting for the plan to become clear before we move. We want the full picture. We want the guarantee. We want to know it's going to work before we commit.

But here's what Hebrews 11 has to say about that — and friend, it's going to challenge you.

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God's approval by it.

— Hebrews 11:1-2 (CSB)

Faith Is More Than Believing — It's Moving

There's a big difference between believing something is true and actually putting your weight on it. James cuts right to it: the demons believe in God — and they shudder (James 2:19-20). Belief alone doesn't move mountains. Faith does.

Biblical faith is active. It trusts God and then does what he asks, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the consequences, regardless of who thinks you've lost your mind. And Paul reminds us with an urgency that's hard to shake: now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. Don't let God's grace pass by without a response (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

The great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11 didn't all have it figured out. But every single one of them moved.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

— Hebrews 11:6 (CSB)

Noah Built the Ark on Dry Land

Let's start with Noah, because Noah's story is almost too good. God told him to build a massive boat. There was no flood. There was no rain in sight. There wasn't even a coastline nearby. Noah built the ark on dry land.

Can you imagine what the neighbors were saying? Every day Noah hammering away, and every day looking absolutely foolish to everyone watching. But Noah kept building — because faith means trusting what God said more than what your circumstances are screaming at you.

Here's what I want you to notice: Noah's obedience didn't wait for confirmation. He moved first. The rain came later. That's how faith works. You don't get the proof up front — you get it on the other side of the step.

Abraham Left Without Knowing Where He Was Going

Then there's Abraham. God came to him with what might be the most wide-open invitation in all of Scripture:

The LORD said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

— Genesis 12:1-2 (CSB)

No GPS. No itinerary. Just go — and I'll show you when you get there. And Abraham went. Hebrews 11 tells us he "went out, even though he did not know where he was going." That's not reckless impulsiveness; that's profound trust.

Later, God would walk Abraham out under the stars and make him a promise that seemed impossible: his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:1-6). Abraham was childless. His wife was barren. And still, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

God specializes in promises that look impossible from where you're standing. The size of the obstacle doesn't limit the size of what he can do.

When God Asks for the Impossible

Sarah laughed when she overheard the angels tell Abraham she would have a son. She was well past childbearing age — and honestly, who could blame her? But she had that son. His name was Isaac, which means laughter. God gets the last laugh every time.

And then came the moment that defines the word "faith" more than almost any other in the Bible. God asked Abraham to give Isaac back — to take his only son, the son of the promise, up a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19).

Abraham obeyed. He got up early the next morning. He didn't delay, didn't argue, didn't try to negotiate. He trusted that even if the worst happened, God was still God — and God was still good. Hebrews 11:18 tells us Abraham believed that God was able to raise the dead. He was acting on a faith that reached further than his own understanding.

God stopped him. God provided the ram. And everything Abraham was promised was preserved — because Abraham took the step.

The Promise Keeps Moving — Through Ordinary, Imperfect People

Here's something I find incredibly encouraging: the story didn't hinge on one perfect person. It moved forward through generation after generation of ordinary, broken, faith-filled people.

Isaac passed the blessing to his sons Jacob and Esau. Jacob — a man who wrestled with God, who deceived his own father, who made more than his share of messes — became the father of twelve tribes and continued to carry forward God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 48:1-22). Joseph, Jacob's son, was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He ended up in an Egyptian prison. And yet, God's hand never left him. Joseph rose to become second in command of Egypt and ultimately saved the very brothers who betrayed him.

At no point in this story did God say, "Well, this family is too messy. I'll find someone better." He kept working. He kept moving. He kept redeeming. His promise outlasted every failure along the way.

Can I be honest with you? That's good news for you and me both.

God Has a Plan for You — Yes, You

Moses was born into slavery during a decree that should have killed him. Instead, Pharaoh's own daughter pulled him out of the Nile and raised him in the palace (Hebrews 11:24-28). When Moses eventually encountered God in a burning bush, he didn't feel qualified. He offered every excuse in the book. God answered every one of them (Judges 6:11-16 echoes this same pattern with Gideon).

By faith, Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and spread the blood of the lamb on their doorposts — an act of trust that stood between life and death. By faith, the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days while the most fortified walls in the region stood before them — and then watched those walls collapse. By faith, Rahab — a Canaanite woman with a complicated past — chose to hide the spies and hang a scarlet cord in her window, and her entire household was spared.

Different people. Different backgrounds. Different circumstances. Same God. Same call. Take the step.

So don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised.

— Hebrews 10:35-36 (CSB)

He's Not Done with You

Hebrews 11 is not a hall of fame for extraordinary people. It's a gallery of ordinary people who believed an extraordinary God — and moved. They didn't have perfect faith. They had real faith. Faith that got up, walked out the door, picked up the hammer, marched around the wall, hung the scarlet cord.

And here's what I want you to take with you today: God is not done writing this story. The same God who called Noah to build, Abraham to go, Moses to lead, and Rahab to trust — he is calling you. Right now. In the middle of your mess, your uncertainty, your fear, your "I don't know if I can do this."

He has a plan for your life that is bigger than your circumstances, bigger than your past, and bigger than your doubts. Help, Hope, and Home — that's what this church is, and that's what he offers you.

The question isn't whether he's done. He's not. The question is: are you ready to take the big step?

PLAN OF ACTION

DAILY

Read one story from Hebrews 11. Ask God to show you what step of faith that person's story is inviting you to take.

THIS WEEK

Name the "big step" you've been putting off. Write it down. Talk to God about it specifically — not in generalities, but the real, specific thing.

THIS MONTH

Take one concrete, visible step of obedient faith — even if it feels risky, even if it looks foolish to people around you. Trust the outcome to God.

ONGOING

Find others to walk with. Faith was never meant to be a solo journey. Lean into this community — help someone else take their next step as you take yours.

Blessings,

Donna

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Identify your "dry land moment" — the step God has been asking you to take that makes no sense on paper but keeps coming back to your heart. Tell one trusted person about it this week. Then ask them to pray with you about it. He is not done. Take the big step.

"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." — Hebrews 11:1 (CSB)