What does faith look like when riding a roller coaster!?
I was strapped inside and couldn’t move as I sat on the roller coaster with my teenage son, I wondered if this was a big mistake.
How fast did this thing go?
Did it really go upside down?
Maybe I should get out and request the most recent inspection report.
What does faith look like in this situation?
Before I could process my questions we were off like a bolt of lightning—flashing, twisting, and flying through the air. Suddenly we came to a stop at the top of a hill. After a long pause, I had a sinking feeling that the ride was about to go to another level. The man behind me groaned, “Oh, no! Does this thing go backward?” I know a prophecy when I hear one, and sure enough, we were headed south at what felt like the speed of light!
What does faith look like when we follow God’s will?
We don’t always enjoy the unpredictable or unexpected. We like to know what’s coming and even have a little control along the way. When it comes to following God’s will for our lives, it’s either our way or His. It can’t be both. To walk in God’s will, we must let go of control and trust His perfect plan, even when it feels like we are strapped into a roller coaster ride and not sure what’s about to happen.
In Andrew’s How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will teaching, he shares this:
When we get to heaven and look back on our lives, I don’t think many of us will say, “I trusted God too much.” But many of us will say, “I played it too safe. I spent my time being occupied with too many things and not going for what God said.
Whenever God calls us to do something, it always requires faith and is almost always out of our comfort zones.
What does faith look like when we step out of comfort zones?
Faith looks like courageous obedience. Obedience requires courage. It demands faith—not in an outcome but in the One who gives perfect peace. Andrew continues:
You commit yourself to God. You run up the white flag. Take all of the reservations off of the table. Just say, “Father, there is nothing that I’m holding back.” You’re not responsible for the consequences; you’re responsible to obey God. If you keep your mind stayed upon God through studying the Word and focusing on Him, you will have perfect peace. If you don’t have perfect peace, your mind’s not stayed upon God.
By the way, I survived the roller coaster and proceeded to ride it six more times. I even bought the T-shirt! It made me think— If I can trust the engineers who built the roller coaster, how much more can I trust a heavenly Father who created the earth and everything in it, including me? Yes, He asks me to do things that I don’t feel qualified for and to go places I would never dream of going on my own. The good news is, His ways are perfect and His plans for me are for good and not for evil, to give me a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). To follow God’s will and fulfil His purpose for my life, I must keep my mind stayed on Him. The ride can be unpredictable, but it’s also too exhilarating to miss!
