Walk By Faith, Not By Hindsight

​Two years ago, God impressed on my and my husband’s hearts that it was time to move across the country. His voice grew louder and louder until staying put felt like complete disobedience. So we followed Him away from family and friends. We were misunderstood by some and, frankly, didn’t understand much about the move ourselves. But two years in, I can say with confidence that God knew what He was doing.
 
If you’ve ever struggled to say “yes” when things didn’t make sense, you’re in good company. In Acts 10 and 12, we see that even Peter, a close friend of Jesus and man full of the Holy Spirit, was often confused by God’s directions. He didn’t understand the vision about clean and unclean animals until he first obeyed God’s instructions to go without hesitation into the home of a Gentile. Not until verse 34 would he realize that God was showing him that He doesn’t play favorites. In chapter 12, when God miraculously delivered him from prison, he thought he was dreaming and didn’t realize he was actually free.

​The Acts of the apostles were acts of obedience in the midst of uncertainty. Since we know the endings of these famous followers’ stories, we can forget it wasn’t easy for them to trust God in the middle. Peter wasn’t a “yes man”; in fact, he had a bad habit of arguing with Jesus.
 
“No, you’ll never wash my feet,”
“I’ll never let that happen to you,”
“I’ll never deny you,” and
“I’ll never eat that”
 
These were just a few of his headstrong responses to Jesus’ directions. Yet by Acts 12, we find him wholly obedient despite being half awake. Each experience taught him that however unclear the reason for the request is, saying yes to Jesus is always worth it.
 
I’m so glad we said yes before we understood how or why. Ours is a God who reveals Himself gradually. He builds our faith by requesting obedience before offering an explanation or guaranteeing an outcome. This method requires trust and a closeness that ushers us into a deeper relationship with Him.
 
In hindsight, Peter could tell you that abandoning his religious traditions was worth learning the truth of God’s heart for all people, and that he’s glad he formed a habit of obedience so strong that he could do it in his sleep. In my own story, I can tell you that God moved us here because there was a non-profit organization He planned to start through us, as well as providing an amazing church family we didn’t even know we needed— and a level of trusting I didn’t realize was possible. But two years ago, the only reason to say yes was because He asked us to. And that was enough because He is trustworthy.
 
I’m convinced people with great faith don’t understand God’s plan better than anyone else, they’ve just learned that understanding isn’t a prerequisite to walking it out. If we wait to move until everything makes sense, we’ll never do anything.
 
We walk by faith, not by hindsight.
 
If we wait until the fog lifts, we’ll miss the growth that comes from clinging to the hand of the One who sees past it. Tomorrow we’ll have hindsight; today we have His hand. And that’s enough and infinitely better.

About the Author

Hi, I'm Kelly Orlowski and I'm a wife, fully-time mother, and part-time seminary student. I live with my husband and four children in Franklin, TN. A former social worker, I am the founder of Lady Crew Apparel, and passionately fight against human trafficking. I love seeing hearers become doers, and reminding doers to keep listening. ​

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