Return to the present

by Rapha Abreu·February 10, 2026·3 min read

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“By faith Abraham, when called, obeyed and went to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Hebrews 11:8

We live in a generation that wants explanations before obedience. We want clarity, guarantees, and security before taking any step. But in the Kingdom of God, the path is often the opposite: first we obey, then we understand. The space between obeying today and God explaining later is called faith.

Faith does not eliminate questions, but it teaches us to walk even while they remain. We will not always have all the answers before acting, but we will have enough direction for the next step.

God allows certain uncertainties not to confuse us, but to form us. Obedience without immediate explanation builds trust. When we learn to trust God’s character, even without understanding His ways, our faith stops being circumstantial and becomes relational.

Do not measure the future

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34

A common mistake, in moments when we do not have clear or specific answers, is trying to calculate future challenges with present strength. We look at what has not yet happened and think, “I can’t handle this.” But God never asked you to have today the strength that will only be needed tomorrow. He shapes you day by day.

This is not an invitation to negligence, but to dependence. God distributes strength according to need, not according to anxiety. When the challenge arrives, grace will arrive with it, just as it walks with us every day.

The renewal of our strength happens at the right time. Before the sea was parted, Moses only needed to trust. The staff did not open the waters beforehand because it was not yet the moment. If something has not happened yet, it is because you do not need to deal with it now.

Look at the staff

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5–6

Much of our anguish is born because we are living in a future that does not yet exist, creating stories, paths, and plans that are unnecessary. We try to solve problems that have not arrived and carry burdens God never gave us. Faith calls us back to the present.

When God spoke to Moses, He asked a simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2). God did not ask about the sea, Pharaoh, or the desert. He called Moses to look at what was already available. Obedience begins with what we have now, not with what we imagine we will need later.

To trust is to obey today with what is in our hands, believing that God will take care of tomorrow. Faith does not live in the future; it is manifested in the present, step by step, under the direction of the One who sees the end from the beginning.

Look at the staff, trust, do what God has directed in His Word, and let Him open the sea.