God is giving us challenges us all the time. There are some great examples of this in the Bible, especially in stories of the Old Testement.

Joshua 1:1-9
Joshua was thrust into a position of great responsibility. God elected him to take over for Moses, the great leader who led the Israelites out of slavery. Quite the challenge... However God didn't simply challenge Joshua, but God also gave him the encouragement and reassurance he needed: "I will not leave you nor forsake you" (Josh. 1:5).

Likewise in Judges 6:11-16
God gives Gideon a massive challenge. However Gideon is reassured that God will be with him.

God will give us challenges to step up to; God will "dare us to move". Challenges can be overwhelming, but we always have God's support in everything. John Wesley once wrote, "Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles often said, 'If the Lord would give me wings, I'd fly.' I used to answer, 'If God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.'"

It's up to us to step up to the challenge, to put our trust in God, to rely on God. And as you faithfully do your part, God will do the part that is beyond you. Do your best and God will do the rest!

Have you ever felt like God was challenging you to do something difficult? What was your response? Did you trust God to overcome the problems, or did you just concentrate on how impossible it was?

God, help me to concentrate more on You and less on me. I know I'm sometimes blinded by how big the challenges are that You put in front of me. Thank You for being bigger.

(Jake Chandler is 17.)