Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  Hebrews 11:8

Uncertainty makes me uneasy.

It’s like driving through endless fog—not knowing if you’ll reach your destination, veer off the road, or slam into the car in front of you.

But here’s the truth: uncertainty is the very soil where faith grows. If the road of life were always clear and predictable, there would be no need for faith. It might feel safer, but it would also be boring, void of the adventure God invites us into.

Martin Luther King Jr. captured the adventurous life perfectly: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” I aspire to live by Mr. King’s words. Yet, if I’m honest, I often try to bargain with God, “Lord, if You won’t show me the whole staircase, could You at least show me steps two and three?” So far, He hasn’t answered my requests. 

I imagine Abraham wanted to see more of the staircase, too. 

At seventy-five, God called him to leave his home for a distant land he had never seen. That’s it. That’s all he knew. No details. No timeline. No guidelines on what to expect along the way. 

If I were him, I’m not sure I would have gone. Would you? I’m in my late forties, and the idea of moving my family across the country sounds about as enjoyable as a root canal. But Abraham obeyed God’s call and, in doing so, stepped into the Lord’s best for his life, becoming the “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). 

Here’s the lesson: we won’t become who the Lord has called us to be unless we keep stepping into uncertainty. Spiritual maturity isn’t built in the safety of the known but in the vulnerability of the unknown.  

Remember, faith is not just a set of beliefs; faith is belief in action. God said, “Go,” and Abraham went. That’s faith. And without a living, breathing, moving-forward kind of faith, “it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). 

Faith still works the same way for us. 

Having the faith to follow Jesus means climbing the staircase, one step at a time, even though we don’t know where we are going. But every step into uncertainty is an opportunity to surrender our need for clarity, take Jesus’ hand, and keep moving forward. Jesus uses uncertainty to stretch our faith and teach us not to “lean on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Every time we take a step of faith, our spiritual muscles grow stronger, and our trust in the Lord deepens.

I don’t know what uncertainty you’re facing today, but I know the Lord wants you to exercise your faith in the middle of it. 

Uncertainty can either:

• Fuel hope or feed despair.
• Cause us to obey or disobey. 
• Move us toward maturity or keep us mired in immaturity.

The choice is ours. But take heart.  

When we are unsure of our next step, we can trust the One who built the staircase.

DIG DEEPER
Read Dealing with Uncertainty also by Jonathan Munson