Yesterday, my not-so-faithful computer breathed its last. No warning that mattered. No dramatic recovery. Just the unmistakable realization that it had reached its earthly grave. It even refused to share the secrets that I had shared with it over the past couple of years (files, folders, etc.).
This morning, however, my wallet is lighter (or is it, my credit card is heavier), and a new computer is up and running. There were moments of uncertainty, plenty of clicking, a few internet searches, and more than one silent hope that everything would transfer correctly. And, I’m still not convinced this is going to work. I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as a technology expert! I just occasionally know enough to take the next step, or am lucky enough to stumble into it, and I hope things will work again.
I certainly don’t believe God caused my old computer to fail or had any part of it whatsoever. Not every inconvenience is a divine lesson wrapped in electronic packaging. Sometimes computers simply … stop … not caring about the inconvenience in the slightest.
Yet even ordinary moments can become occasions for spiritual reflection.
Scripture is full of people who were called beyond what they already knew. Again and again, God invited, and continues to invite, ordinary people to trust beyond the limits of their own experience.
That’s often how faith grows—not because God removes every uncertainty, but because he meets us in the middle of it.
Most of us prefer familiarity. We like routines and things that simply work. I’d like my old computer to work again. But discipleship has always involved learning, adapting, and trusting. God doesn’t ask us to know everything before taking the next faithful step. He asks us to trust.
My technological adventure this morning reminds me that growth often comes disguised as inconvenience. We discover abilities we didn’t know we possessed only because circumstances require us to use them. The same is true with our faith. Challenges have a way of stretching our faith and revealing how God works and gives us strength even when our confidence isn’t strong.
Isaiah records God’s promise: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Those words weren’t meant for life’s great crises. They speak to our daily living and the decisions, simple and complex, we make every day. Whether it’s a new computer, a new season of life, or a new calling, we move forward knowing that we don’t move alone.
Perhaps today God is inviting you to take one step beyond what you already know—not because you’re certain of the outcome, but because you are certain of his presence.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for walking with me through both life’s major crossroads and its ordinary frustrations. When you call me beyond what’s familiar, give me courage to take the next faithful step, trusting not in my own abilities but in your faithful presence. Amen.
