SCRIPTURE: NEHEMIAH 2:5-6
“And I said to the king, ‘if it pleases the king, and if you servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), ‘How long will your journey be? And when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”
OBSERVATION
The King may not have understood faith. But he did understand one thing. Life is a journey, and so is faith. While there can be moments of great faith, faith does not grow in a moment. Faith grows during the journey that God calls you to. Each day and each moment presents itself as an opportunity to exercise your faith. Faith is like a muscle; it must be used, stretched and challenged in order to grow stronger. That is what The Story Initiative is about.
We want your faith to grow stronger daily on this journey. Just as Nehemiah was going to experience many obstacles and challenges along the way, so will you. There will be moments that you don’t want to engage the journey. Stay the course, just as Nehemiah did, and watch your faith grow stronger and stronger. We are on a faith journey together, and it’s going to stretch and grow us more than we can imagine.
APPLICATION
Do you see faith as a journey? There will be moments in the journey that make you want to quit or change direction. Determine in your heart today that you are going to commit to this faith journey. When you doubt or feel discouraged, take time to reflect and realize that God is strengthening and stretching your faith. Don’t give up, and keep living this journey of faith.
PRAYER
“God, Help me to see you working in my life daily. Help me to embrace the journey and to grow through every struggle and challenge. I want to stretch my faith as I walk out this journey. Jesus, I am committed to the journey.”