Trust God with the Next Step

When Your Feet Touch the Water

Some days, I look back at the footprints behind me and wonder how God brought me here—living in another country for eight months, surrounded by a different culture, learning a new language, and living a life that once existed only as a tiny seed of a dream in my heart.

The truth is, this journey did not happen all at once.

It began with one small step.
One surrendered yes.
One act of obedience followed by another…and then another.

Some steps were taken with confidence. Others were taken with trembling faith, trusting that God could see what I could not. There were moments when I feltp as though I could not keep going—or did not even know what moving forward was supposed to look like.

And yet, somehow, God gathered all those ordinary steps and turned them into an extraordinary journey.

Even now, I sometimes find myself asking, “God, how did You do all of this? And how will You lead me into what comes next?”

His answer seems to remain the same:

Take the next step. Trust Me with the rest.

Before the Waters Parted

I am reminded of the Israelites standing before the Jordan River. God had promised to lead them into the land He had prepared for them, but a river stood between where they were and where He was taking them.

The Jordan River was overflowing its banks. From a human perspective, crossing it did not make sense. Yet God told the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant to move forward.

In Joshua 3:10, Joshua told the people:

“Today you will know that the living God is among you.”

Then came the instruction:

“As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream.”
—Joshua 3:13 NLT

Notice that phrase: “As soon as their feet touched the water.”

The priests had to step into the river before they saw the waters stop. They could not remain safely on the shore and wait until the path became clear. Their obedience came before the miracle.

I can imagine them looking at the overflowing river and wondering, How exactly is this going to work, God? You are saying the water is going to defy nature?

How often do we do the same thing?

We look at the circumstances in front of us and become overwhelmed by what we can see. The waters appear too deep, the current too strong, and the path forward impossible. Fear tells us to remain on the shore until we understand every detail.

But faith invites us to take the next step.

God was not asking the Israelites to understand how He would part the Jordan. He was asking them to trust that the living God was among them.

Another Opportunity to Trust Him

In my own life, God gives me opportunities every day to trust Him again.

There are still situations that cause me to ask, “How are You going to do this, God?”

How will I continue learning Spanish?
How will He provide what is needed for the ministry?
How will He lead me from one season into the next?
How will the tiny dream He planted in my heart continue to unfold?

I do not always know the answers. But when I look behind me, I see the evidence of His faithfulness.

I see every prayer He answered, every person He placed in my path, every need He supplied, and every door He opened. I see the small steps that seemed ordinary at the time but were leading me toward the life He had prepared.

The same God who led me here will be faithful to lead me forward.

One Step at a Time

These footprints in the sand remind me that following God is not always about seeing the entire path.

The Israelites could not yet see how they would cross the Jordan on dry ground. They simply had to believe God’s promise and place one foot in front of the other.

That is often what obedience looks like for us too.

It is taking the next step while trusting God with what we cannot see. It is seeking His Kingdom and believing that every surrendered yes has purpose. It is remembering that the One who calls us is already present in the place where He is leading us.

Step by step, little by little, God is writing a story far greater than I could have imagined.

Perhaps the waters in front of you seem impossible today. You may not understand how God will make a way, but you do not have to see the entire journey.

You only need to trust Him with the next step.