Leap of Faith

Psalm 34:17
"The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all 
their troubles."

Key Passage Psalm 34 Your weary mind begs your tired legs to press the accelerator and drive right by. But as you pass the church, you see wind blowing the few leaves left on winter's trees by the front walkway. You sense the bitter cold outside. Your eyes scan to see a parade of children bundled in Starter jackets making their way across the street. You know where they're headed. Suddenly, you turn the car around and pray: Lord, please help me. I am so exhausted; I don't know if I can do this-even just for a few hours. Please give me strength that I don't have.

You park, lock your car, and walk into the church gym that smells of must and mold. Almost immediately, familiar faces zoom by and tiny hands cling to your waist. You breathe a silent prayer; this is the encouragement you needed.

The Lord heard your cry.

Have you ever stopped to wonder if you live by your faith on a daily basis? When you're driving, working, ministering, praying . . . do you take "leaps" of faith?

We often think of leaps of faith as huge decisions such as leaving our job to pursue missions. But we have opportunities to take leaps of faith every day-in everything we do.

Psalm 31:1-8 shows us an example of faith in David's life. He was running from Saul and took leaps of faith daily as he trusted God for protection. In verse one, he writes, "In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed. In Your righteousness deliver me."

In Psalm 34, David encourages the congregation to join in thanksgiving to God for rescuing him. It is easy to look at David's situation after the fact and see God's hand of deliverance, but how did he feel in the midst of his despair? We can surmise that he felt hemmed in, afraid, crushed.

Yet his hope, and ours, is found in the Lord Almighty, who is always faithful.

Are there days when you feel weak, drained, annoyed, or scared? God wants you to cry out to Him with confidence that He delivers, provides, strengthens, and protects. No matter what you're facing-from traffic to weariness-God always meets you where you are.

Take a leap of faith today; cry out to the Lord and trust that He will answer. His response is always the best solution to your need.

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