When God Has You Stepping Into Thin Air
God’s faithfulness carries us through every unexpected turn, proving trustworthy in every step of thin-air faith.
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (ESV)
A few weeks ago, I watched as my daughter walked across the stage to get her high school diploma. She’s the youngest of seven and her graduation marks the end of 26 years of homeschooling for me. Two days later, we stood on hot sand celebrating as she was baptized in the tumbling ocean waves. It was a milestone weekend, and while I haven’t cried yet, I have pondered.
There isn’t a piece of her story that was in my plans. I planned for three children. God gave us seven. I thought I’d practice law part time after having children. God called me home full-time. I envisioned my children would go to school like I had. God called me to homeschool. I had married my high school sweetheart and expected we’d grow old together. Until I woke to his last breaths on the pillow next to mine.
Each time life pivoted, I stood at a precipice that felt like I was stepping into thin air.
I can sing about God’s great faithfulness with the best of them. But when life takes a hard turn I never saw coming or God asks me to do something far outside my capabilities, I worry whether he will be faithful to me in this.
Faith isn’t faith until it’s tested, said Kay Arthur.
And trusting God’s plan over our own always puts us in a place of thin-air faith.
It’s a place that swirls with what ifs and what nows. Our plans look manageable and reasonable. They would keep our feet firmly planted in what we know, what we can do, and what we can control.
God’s plans pluck us from the familiar and stretch us far past our own capabilities. But that’s just it—when life doesn’t unfold the way we thought or God leads us on a new path, we’re forced to trust him.
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24, ESV)
It’s one thing to read about God’s faithfulness in scripture. But we’d never have the living, robust faith God wants for us if we only sang about it on Sundays. Our faith deepens and strengthens only when our faith is being stretched.
Following God means having a life marked with thin-air trust. Not just once, but all the way until we get to heaven.
These years of homeschooling and single parenting are no testament to me. I know the times I was perplexed, exhausted, worried, and had to apologize yet again. These years are a testament to God.
As I sunk into my pillow and pondered my daughter’s graduation and baptism weekend, I sighed with deep joy. I could see the full arc of God’s faithfulness when it had felt like walking on air.
We did it, God, I said silently.
Of course God was faithful! He can be nothing else.
In His Word
Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (ESV)
In Your Life
Where is God stretching you right now?
What is keeping you from stepping out to follow God on an unexpected, unfamiliar path?
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Get 31 “But God” scriptures for your faith-stretching season from Lisa here.
If you’re walking through an unexpected loss you never saw coming, find real hope and help to take steps forward in Lisa’s book Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart.
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Lisa Apello is a speaker, Bible teacher, and author who equips women to cultivate deep faith in the midst of grief, loss, and life’s unexpected detours. After becoming a sudden widow and single mom to seven, she now helps others anchor their hearts in God’s promises through her writing, online community, and podcast, Hope in the Hard Places. Find more at lisaappelo.com and follow her on Instagram @lisaappelo.