One step at a time

https://odb.org/2026/07/03/step-by-step-2

Isaiah 40:25-26,29-31 (NIV): 25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
      26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
      29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
      30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
      31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The woman walked gingerly up each step to the church’s sanctuary for that night’s prayer service. As she paused because of her pain or breathlessness, a man passing by said, “One step at a time. That’s the only way you’re going to make it. Take it easy.” His words were meant to encourage the woman and may have given her the boost she needed to reach the top. They certainly encouraged my weary soul during my visit that evening.

In our faith journey, we may feel tempted to quit when the path seems too long or difficult. Yet in these moments, we can find solace in the words the prophet Isaiah spoke to comfort the Israelites. He told them God would eventually redeem them from their decades of captivity in Babylon, and He reminded them that God wasn’t like powerless idols (Isaiah 40:18-20). Almighty God, who created the heavens and earth, “will not grow tired or weary,” and He strengthens the weak (vv. 28-29). “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (v. 31). (Nancy Gavilanes, Our Daily Bread 3rd July 2026)

One of the fundamental things I learned as a Christian for more than 40 years is that our Christian life is indeed a journey. There are ups and downs not only in life in general but also in our spiritual walk. There are times when we are spiritually edified but at other times we may just be on a plateau – not to say boring but nothing exciting is happening. There are also occasions when we may have fallen or backslided, perhaps distracted by the bright lights of the world or in somewhat blind pursuit of our career goals. Or something tragic could have happened in our lives like the loss of a loved one that brought us into a season of depression.

That is why when it comes to our journey of faith, we must always keep in mind that it’s always a marathon and never a sprint. It is a long distance cross country run, never a track and field race. The route goes through many paths and obstacles, through the countryside and the forest with its streams of water and canopy of trees and undulating terrain. It is not on a purpose built track made of special materials to ease our run. The route is as unforgiving as it gets, as nature has made it over its thousands of years of existence.

My motto in my spiritual walk has always been – one step at a time. We take small steps of faith in accordance with our confidence, capability and belief, rather than leaps or runs of faith. Yes, there are times we speed things up as prompted by the Holy Spirit. But mostly it’s a step by step walk led by Christ, hand in hand, moulding us in the process. One step at a time, but moving forward towards the goal set ahead for us by Christ. We set our own pace but we nevertheless move forward. Never pausing too long at any place and neither going backwards. It must not be one step forward, two steps back as that simply means we are not making progress.

I have seen high flyers of the past faded into oblivion while those of us who had been trudging along faithfully are still at it 40 years later. Consistency is the key, not flashes of brilliance. There are still days, weeks, months and perhaps some years to come. We are definitely nearer to the grave than a decade ago, but nevertheless we are still at it in this business of following Christ. One step at a time but never giving up!

I like to end this week with this exaltation from Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 NIV:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”.

Have a good weekend and do make it a point to freshen up, get dressed and attend church physically to worship God and to fellowship with our fellow believers as we all make our way forward in our respective journeys of faith!