Act Brave Even If You Don’t Yet Feel It

Sometimes it’s necessary to move out of our comfort zone, to step out in faith before we’re ready. Often it’s best to act brave even if we don’t yet feel it, trusting God to be brave for us.

Sometimes it's necessary to move out of our comfort zone, to step out in faith before we're ready. Often it's best to act brave even if we don't yet feel it, trusting God to be brave for us. Share on X

A Quest

My mind becomes foggy when I get nervous. As I drove through Indiana, the fog rolled in. And, again, it announced its presence the next day as I maneuvered my van into a trailhead parking spot in Red River Gorge Geological Area in Kentucky.

What was I doing? Why didn’t I bring someone along? 

It was the second day of a solo trip to the Bluegrass state, a quest for solitude. After a 10+ hour drive across several states, I came to the most exciting yet scary part of my journey, a couple nights of solo backpacking in a section of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Desperate or Brave

A friend said I was brave. I didn’t feel brave but desperate. My life held too many distractions. I needed some solitude. I’m not sure how to describe it, but I had an undeniable urge to get away…alone. And it had to be something challenging in all aspects, something outside my comfort zone.

So despite my reservations, I parked my van, said a quick prayer, hefted my backpack and entered the wilderness. I acted brave because I trusted God would be there with me. He promised, not to always keep me safe from physical harm (there’s far more important things to be concerned about than physical safety), but to meet me in my need. And I needed Him and Him alone.  

“He [Jesus] got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. (Mark 1:35b, HCSB) 

Like Jesus, I felt compelled to seek God in a deserted place. And there I met Him in an amazing and magical way (not in a mystical, weird sense, but in a beautiful, perfectly orchestrated sense). God didn’t meet me with comfort or ease. He didn’t meet me to impart great revelations and incredible insights. But meet me He did, in exactly the way I needed Him to (more on that in future writings). 

Faithfully Brave

You don’t have to go off alone into the wilderness to be faithful. God asks us to trust Him in countless ways everyday. Some small and seemingly insignificant to the outside world, some big and hard. Acting brave, acting on our faith, should permeate every area of life for a follower of Christ. It’s about surrendering it all, trusting God to be brave for us while we follow in obedience. 

Acting brave, acting on our faith, should permeate every area of life for a follower of Christ. It's about surrendering it all, trusting God to be brave for us while we follow in obedience. Share on X

Sometimes acting brave occurs right in the middle of our crazy day. Other times it requires we let it all go while we get away to a deserted spot to hang with God. That may be the scariest of all: Getting away from all distractions, leaving work, technology, our comfort zone, to release control…trusting God to go wherever He leads. But whenever I do it, I realize how important it is.

And there’s one thing about God: You never know what kind of amazing He’ll deliver when we act brave in faith. But you better believe it will be amazing! 

There's one thing about God: You never know what kind of amazing He'll deliver when we act brave in faith. But you better believe it will be amazing! Share on X

Act Brave Prayer

Lord, I certainly don’t feel brave, but I trust You. I trust Your promises to me. I trust Your strength, Your power, Your wisdom, Your understanding.

I don’t feel brave, but I can step out in faith to do the next hard thing because You have proven faithful. You did the bravest of things, hardest of things, when You willingly laid down Your life on the cross for all of us sinners. You endured humiliation and horrific pain for many who will never acknowledge You as Lord and Savior.

I don’t feel brave, but I choose to act brave. I will steal away to deserted places to be alone with you. I will do my best to glorify You with my thoughts, words, and actions. I will enter the uncomfortable when You ask me to, because You deserve my steadfast faith, undying devotion, and complete reverence. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will bow my knee to You in every facet of my life.

I don’t feel brave, Lord, but because You are, I can be too.

I don't feel brave, Lord, but I choose to act brave....I don't feel brave, but because You are, I can be too. #actbraveprayer Share on X

Reflections: How are you acting brave in faith this season? Have you ever stolen away to a “deserted place” to be alone with God? What did you experience?