Steps in The Stillness

By: Erik Martinez

Sometimes we want to go back to where the Lord has brought us from and forego where He is taking us.

This thought came to me as I went on a walk, seeking to hear from the Lord. In my view was the path behind me—the place I had just come from. And as I looked ahead, there was a vast, open space. You could see where the path began, but with the rolling hills, it soon disappeared from sight.

“Our faith is built in hindsight of trials, but it is established before they come.”

Faith is a gift from God. He increases our faith through the trials we face, or even through the trials of others—and often both. But what He has already shown us should become the foundation on which our faith stands. Over and over, we witness His faithfulness to the people of Israel. This is where our established faith is rooted: in the One who is always Faithful.

As I walked, God whispered something into my spirit:

“Is your faith only because of what I’ve done, or is it rooted in who I am?”

That question stopped me.

A few steps later, another thought came:

“How will I see where I’m going if I don’t look down at my footing?”

And the Lord responded clearly:

“All you have to do is look up.”

There is a simple, yet sacred exchange in our walk with God—a tension between human caution and divine direction. Between our need to be sure-footed and His call to walk by faith.

In that moment, I felt God inviting me to stop relying on what’s beneath me and start depending fully on Who is above me.

“Our faith may be in the trust we have in man, but I beg you—let your trust be in the Lord God. Don’t be like the people who followed Moses. Be like Moses, who followed God.”

Shortly after writing these reflections, I felt overcome by His calling—an invitation to follow Him more closely than ever before. I stopped on the trail, turned around, and saw a rock shelf, almost shaped like an altar. I knelt before the Lord and whispered, “I want to follow You, God.”

And that moment—it wasn’t just belief. It was pursuit. It wasn’t just proximity. It was intimacy.

Where Are You on This Walk?

Are you coming down a familiar path, only to turn back toward what’s comfortable?

Are you trusting in your own abilities, your strengths—watching every step, but missing everything the Lord is trying to show you?

Are you following man, grumbling along the way, not taking accountability for where you are in this journey?

I invite you—right here, right now—to look forward. To look up.

To trust and follow God more closely than ever before.

We are called to become who He has created us to be—in fullness, by His strength and power—to accomplish His will on this side of eternity.