Leaps of Faith in 2026
Those who know me best can attest to the big leaps of faith that I have taken throughout my life: pursuing violin lessons at local universities while in high school (believing finances for said lessons would be provided), moving out of state for college (and putting down roots there after graduating, away from family), quitting my stable jobs without having the next one lined up (trusting it would come when I needed it), waiting patiently for relationships that don’t yet exist (and remaining hopeful when there is very little evidence of growth).
Most of these acts of faith have looked crazy and even foolish to my family and friends. How would a degree in music (not the must lucrative field) provide for my needs? When I wanted to change careers, how would I find a good job outside of music (let alone a job in the even less lucrative field of ministry)? How would I ever date if I don’t “put myself out there?” These are the (often unspoken) questions that people were asking, and I confess swirled in the back of my mind as well.
Today I can testify that every prayer has been answered. It hasn’t always looked as I expected, but God has provided financially for every need, and continues to use my music training to serve the church. He has given me rich community in the town where I’ve spread roots for almost 10 years now, and led me to a ministry job that is more fruitful than I ever could have imagined. All I’ve done is pray, obey, and marvel at God’s goodness.
I am eating the good and plentiful fruit of past challenging seasons. Seeds that were sown in tears are being reaped with shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5-6).
At the same time, I’m being asked to take new leaps of faith which I didn’t want to make.
For the past year, as I’ve been enjoying the fruit of answered prayers, I’ve also been asking God to grow my faith muscles and lead me to new leaps of faith. Somehow, I’m still surprised to now find myself standing on the edge of another risky riverbed that I need to cross. I see the strong current beneath me, and remember what it felt like to be tossed and trampled by its force the last time I jumped and didn’t quite stick the landing. Will I be trapped under fresh waves of loss and disappointment?
I didn’t expect that I would enter 2026 facing another season of singleness, another address change, and another new roommate. This is not the way I wanted God to stretch my faith. But, I can’t stay where I am, so I’m gathering the courage to leap again, remembering that I have no idea what is waiting for me on the other side.
Thankfully, I’ve learned a few things about how to take leaps of faith - namely, the skills of preparation, patience, and practice.
Preparation: Spiritual Weight Training. We have to be consistently in God’s word and in prayer before we are ready to leap (download my free 2026 reading plan here).
Patience: Coach Holy Spirit. We have to listen to the voice of the Spirit who is our coach in the training process, and be willing to obey when he says “jump.”
Practice: Trial Runs (many of them). It’s the small, daily stretching of faith muscles that will keep us ready to sprint into action when the call comes. This often looks like mundane, quiet, unglamorous faithfulness each day, where we choose to lay down our own agendas and listen instead to God has for us.
Maybe you relate to the fear associated with leaps of faith: fear of falling, failing, or floundering if you land in the water. Maybe you’re excited about the leaps of faith in front of you this year: a new job, a new relationship, a new school… anything to get you away from the patterns you’ve been stuck in. Here’s my caution:
Don’t leap until God says “go.”
It’s tempting to leap motivated by fear, either trying to get to the next thing before it disappears, or get away from the previous thing before it suffocates us. It’s much harder to prepare, practice, and be patient, but waiting is exactly how we become ready to move. Every leap of faith is an act of obedience, built on smaller steps of daily faithfulness. If we leap in our own effort, then it’s simply walking by sight.
Alternatively, you might feel paralyzed and unable to take a step in faith, let alone a leap in faith. Keep preparing and practicing in the waiting, letting daily surrender form you. Here’s my encouragement:
Be ready to leap when God says “go.”
Every time I have leapt—even when my foot has slipped and I’ve tumbled into the water—my obedience in faith has been worth it. I have not always landed where I wanted to, but every moment of pain, disillusionment, and heartbreak has led me closer to the heart of God who loves me and works all things together for good (Romans 8:28). To trust and obey God, even when you are stepping into unknown waters, is eternally, supremely, unbelievably worth it.
Friend, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. I don’t know the challenges ahead of you or the leaps of faith that God will ask you to take this year, but I can promise you that he is faithful, and obeying him is the most fruitful and beautiful thing you can ever do. Learning to walk, run, and leap by faith makes life a whole lot more adventurous, and is an invitation to a life of unimaginable freedom.
This year, let your leaps of faith launch you into a new life of wonder and exhilaration, because the best things in life are unexpected, and we don’t know where we’ll land.