By Jessica Brodie

Have you ever stood on the edge of a cliff and looked down? I have, and it’s a bit intimidating. Immediately, I remember stories about people who have died taking selfies too close to the brink, and my self-preservation instinct kicks into overdrive as I find myself backing away toward safety. Even if there’s a rail, my instinct is the same.

Yet there’s also a thrill, standing there. I can imagine what it must feel like to be a bird soaring out over the vast landscape, knowing her wings keep her in flight as she marvels at the gift she’s able to enjoy.

In many ways, that’s how I’m feeling today, at the end of 2024, poised for the start of a fresh new year.

That’s because this year is bringing with it the start of a brand-new adventure for me, a path I’ve not yet traveled, yet one I know God is calling me to take.

The leap I take isn’t a drastic one to many people—it’s not a job change, or a family upheaval. Most people who know me won’t even notice a shift in my life.

But to me, it’s a huge leap of faith. And in many ways, I feel like I’m on the edge of that cliff, looking out over the vast unknown.

Yet instead of terror, I feel a tremble of excitement within me. I’m that bird, buoyed up by wings God himself bestowed, and I’m ready to soar—ready to see what God will do with me and my life now that I’m in complete surrender to him. Ready to see what 2025 will bring.

It doesn’t matter a bit that I can’t see what’s ahead.

Consider Abraham, in the Bible. God promised him a son through his wife, Sarah, and that he’d give him more descendants than can be counted (Genesis 17:4-16). Abraham knew good things were coming—after all, God himself had promised this on more than one occasion. And yet, some years later, the Bible tells us God decided to test Abraham, telling him he must sacrifice that son. Abraham didn’t hesitate. The very next morning, Abraham woke up and prepared to do just this—sacrifice the one thing that was most important to him in all the world. He was prepared to take a leap of faith without knowing the outcome.

When God saw Abraham’s willingness and obedience, he blessed him greatly, proclaiming, “Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:16-18 NIV).

God doesn’t need our sacrifices. But when we sacrifice our treasures, our security, our “most precious” things for him without knowing the outcome, when we take a leap of faith and surrender everything we have to the Lord, not holding anything back, what an act of trust and submission!

What about you? Is there an “Isaac” in your life you’re clinging to, unwilling to let go? A gift or a sacrifice you’re unwilling to make for the Lord?

We don’t know what the future will bring. But if you, like me, are standing at the edge of 2025 knowing the Lord is calling you to a leap of faith, I urge you: Don’t hesitate. Don’t worry about the outcome. Instead, give over all you have, all you are, all you hold dear.

And take that leap.

God will provide your wings somehow, someway.

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