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Hey Vineyard Fam-
It is great to be back; I am grateful for the time that I have had but excited to jump back in the saddle. As I take that step forward, I’m reminded of something that keeps surfacing in my own heart.

Sometimes the hardest part of trusting God is taking the next step before we know how everything will turn out. We want to be faithful. We would also appreciate a map, an arrival time, and a few guarantees about the people we love.

Last Sunday, we met two people facing uncertain futures. Hagar encountered God in the wilderness after fleeing mistreatment. Moses pleaded for God’s presence as he faced the responsibility of leading Israel forward. Their stories brought us to a question: Can we take the next faithful step while some of our questions remain unanswered?

This coming Sunday, Psalm 23 will help us explore the character of the God we are trusting. The God who sees us and goes with us is a Shepherd who restores, leads, and welcomes us, even when the road runs through darkness.

In Genesis 16, Hagar recognizes that God sees her. Her circumstances have not suddenly become easy. There are difficult steps ahead, yet she discovers that her suffering has not escaped his attention.

We need to honor the particulars of her story. God’s promises to Hagar are not guarantees that our circumstances will unfold in the same way, but her encounter reveals God’s attention to someone whose pain others have disregarded.

That invites us to bring our actual lives before him. We do not have to understand everything we feel or make ourselves useful enough to deserve his care.

Some of us function so well that others have little idea how much we are carrying. We meet deadlines, answer messages, care for our families, and keep going. Honest prayer gives us a place to acknowledge what all that activity can conceal.

This week, try beginning each day this week with one unpolished sentence: “God, this is where I am.” Name the fear, grief, gratitude, exhaustion, or uncertainty. Then make room to receive his care, including through someone trustworthy who can listen and pray with you.

In Exodus 33:12–17, we watched as Moses insisted that Israel needs God himself. Reaching the promised land cannot replace God’s presence among them. God answers graciously, assuring Moses that he knows him by name.

This asks something searching of us: Do we desire God’s presence as deeply as we desire his help getting where we want to go?

We should bring him our hopes for our families, work, relationships, and church. But prayer also opens us to correction. God’s leading may involve an apology we have resisted, help we have refused, or a limit we need to acknowledge.

Through Jesus, we are welcomed into a relationship grounded in grace. That welcome gives us courage to be honest. We can confess failure and receive direction without trying to earn God’s attention through achievement.

All of that points us to this Sunday and searching for the "how" of all of this, learning to receive the Shepherd’s care

Psalm 23 takes that trust into daily life. It describes restoration and guidance, but it also includes a dark valley and a table surrounded by enemies. God’s care is present in circumstances that remain difficult.

We often postpone receiving good things until every problem has been resolved. We will rest when the pressure eases. We will enjoy our family when the decision is settled. We will accept help once we are certain we really need it.

But genuine sorrow and genuine goodness can share the same day. Receiving a meal, enjoying a conversation, or accepting encouragement does not minimize what is painful. It gives us room to recognize God’s care within it.

There is another movement in Psalm 23 worth noticing before Sunday. In its opening verses, David speaks about God. In the valley, he speaks directly to him. What he believes becomes prayer.

We may arrive this Sunday with many of the same questions we carry today. We can also arrive having practiced trust: telling God the truth, receiving care, obeying in one specific way, and making room for another person. The next faithful step does not require us to see the whole road; it begins with entrusting ourselves to the One who walks with us.

Again, it is great to be back. I am excited for this journey together!
Adam