Sometimes God Expects Us to Act Even When We Do Not Understand
Table of Contents
- The Principle of Moving Before Full Understanding
- Follow the Ark (Joshua 3:3-4)
- God’s Will Is a Relationship, Not a Road Map
- Two Anchors for Obedient Living
- The Call Still Stands
Beloved friend, there are seasons when we feel as though God is silent or inactive. We want clear, logical next steps. We want the full picture before we move. Yet Scripture shows us again and again that God often calls us to act before we fully understand. Life Principle 5 calls us to keep our eyes on His presence and move when He moves. Let us open the Scriptures and learn.
The Principle of Moving Before Full Understanding
Israel had never crossed the Jordan at flood stage. They had no map for what came next. The instruction was simple: watch the ark, and move when it moves. The focus was not on the river, the current, or the uncertainty. The focus was on the presence of God going before them.
Follow the Ark (Joshua 3:3-4)
Joshua 3:3-4 (NKJV)
3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.
4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”
The officers went through the camp and gave this order: when you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.
God’s Will Is a Relationship, Not a Road Map
Adrian Rogers put it plainly: “We don’t have to know the future. God’s will is not a road map but rather a relationship.”
That distinction matters. When we demand a complete road map, we often hold back part of ourselves from God. We want safety more than surrender. Yet there are times when obedience itself is the next step, even when the assignment sounds unreasonable or the timing feels wrong.
It is also true that God sometimes blocks our path because of disobedience. When that happens, the remedy is not more striving but repentance and a return to Him. Still, many of our delays are not the result of His discipline—they are the result of our own hesitation to move until everything makes sense.
Two Anchors for Obedient Living
- Obedience must take first place.
Psalm 119:145 (NKJV)
I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
The psalmist links desperate prayer with a settled commitment to obey. Obedience is not the afterthought; it is the priority.
- The Holy Spirit enables what we cannot do on our own.
John 14:26 (NKJV)
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
We are not left to figure out obedience in our own strength. The Spirit teaches, reminds, and empowers us to walk in what God has already said.
The Call Still Stands
The call of Joshua 3 is still the call today: keep your eyes on the presence of God. Follow where He leads, even when the path is one you have never walked before. The task may sound strange. The timing may feel premature. The outcome may be hidden. None of that changes the assignment.
Focus on Him, not on the size or strangeness of the step. Obey first. Trust the Spirit to supply what you lack.
God is not asking you to understand everything before you move. He is asking you to follow.
Amen.