On the Edge of the Promise: Learning to Believe Again
“The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way…”
—Deuteronomy 1:30–33 (ESV)
These verses are a sobering reminder of a moment that defined a generation—a generation that saw God's mighty works, felt His tangible presence, experienced His daily provision, and yet, when they stood on the edge of their promise... they did not believe.
They had seen God fight for them in Egypt.
They had seen Him part seas, provide manna, guide them with a cloud by day and fire by night.
They had seen Him carry them—like a father carries his son.
And yet, when it came time to step into the very thing He had promised, they hesitated in unbelief.
The Tragedy of Unbelief
The tragedy wasn’t that God failed to deliver. The tragedy was that they didn’t believe He would. So, instead of entering the land of promise, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years—not because the promise wasn’t real, but because their faith wasn’t.
This account echoes into our lives today. How often has God gone before us, fought for us, carried us—and yet we still hesitate at the edge of promise?
We want to believe. We long to step into everything He’s made available. And yet… if we’re honest, there’s unbelief in all of us.
I Believe—Help My Unbelief
As I reflect on this passage, I find myself praying:
Jesus, You are leading—let there be faith in me to lay hold of that which You’ve promised.
Holy Spirit, You are the deposit, the guarantee of my inheritance—lead me not only to the promise, but into truth that awakens the faith to possess it.
Because the truth is: We don’t just need direction—we need the kind of faith that moves us from hearing to believing, and from believing to stepping in.
Remembering to Awaken Faith
In Deuteronomy, Moses is reminding the people of everything God has done. Why? Because remembrance awakens faith.
They are once again standing on the edge of the promise—their second chance. But this time, the reminder of God’s faithfulness is meant to stir belief. To confront their doubt. To encourage them: Don’t repeat the past. Don’t shrink back again.
Where Are You Standing Today?
Maybe you’re standing on the edge of something God has promised—healing, breakthrough, calling, purpose. Maybe you’ve seen Him move in your past. You’ve seen the cloud. You’ve felt the fire. You know He carried you.
But you also feel that hesitation rising. That whisper of doubt: Will He do it again? Can I really step into it? Is this promise really mine?
Let me remind you—He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. The same God who carried you this far hasn’t brought you here to leave you.
So let your prayer be this:
“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
And let your heart be filled with faith that He who goes before you will fight for you once again.
The promise still stands.
Step into it.
I would love to hear how this blog is impacting you. Let me know in the comment section below!
These verses are a sobering reminder of a moment that defined a generation—a generation that saw God's mighty works, felt His tangible presence, experienced His daily provision, and yet, when they stood on the edge of their promise... they did not believe.
They had seen God fight for them in Egypt.
They had seen Him part seas, provide manna, guide them with a cloud by day and fire by night.
They had seen Him carry them—like a father carries his son.
And yet, when it came time to step into the very thing He had promised, they hesitated in unbelief.
The Tragedy of Unbelief
The tragedy wasn’t that God failed to deliver. The tragedy was that they didn’t believe He would. So, instead of entering the land of promise, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years—not because the promise wasn’t real, but because their faith wasn’t.
This account echoes into our lives today. How often has God gone before us, fought for us, carried us—and yet we still hesitate at the edge of promise?
We want to believe. We long to step into everything He’s made available. And yet… if we’re honest, there’s unbelief in all of us.
I Believe—Help My Unbelief
As I reflect on this passage, I find myself praying:
Jesus, You are leading—let there be faith in me to lay hold of that which You’ve promised.
Holy Spirit, You are the deposit, the guarantee of my inheritance—lead me not only to the promise, but into truth that awakens the faith to possess it.
Because the truth is: We don’t just need direction—we need the kind of faith that moves us from hearing to believing, and from believing to stepping in.
Remembering to Awaken Faith
In Deuteronomy, Moses is reminding the people of everything God has done. Why? Because remembrance awakens faith.
They are once again standing on the edge of the promise—their second chance. But this time, the reminder of God’s faithfulness is meant to stir belief. To confront their doubt. To encourage them: Don’t repeat the past. Don’t shrink back again.
Where Are You Standing Today?
Maybe you’re standing on the edge of something God has promised—healing, breakthrough, calling, purpose. Maybe you’ve seen Him move in your past. You’ve seen the cloud. You’ve felt the fire. You know He carried you.
But you also feel that hesitation rising. That whisper of doubt: Will He do it again? Can I really step into it? Is this promise really mine?
Let me remind you—He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. The same God who carried you this far hasn’t brought you here to leave you.
So let your prayer be this:
“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
And let your heart be filled with faith that He who goes before you will fight for you once again.
The promise still stands.
Step into it.
I would love to hear how this blog is impacting you. Let me know in the comment section below!
Posted in 2025 Bible Plan
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7 Comments
Exactly what I needed today! I believe! Lord, help my unbelief.
In today’s world, people want God to show himself to us by sight rather by spirit. They want Him to show up when they call upon him but that’s not how God works. He works through the Holy Spirit and we as believers must have faith and do his works by praying and worshiping Him. The early followers lost sight of this and that’s why they never saw the promise land. The enemy also clouds our mind and wants us to believe God doesn’t love us nor hears us but in reality, God is always will be there for us as long as we open our hearts and spirit to Him.
Oh yes!
nI believe!!!! Oh lord help me
nIn my unbelief. Please help me keep my faith strong! Amen ?❤️
I was with friends tonight who were sharing testimonies of answered prayer. It encouraged me. And the BLOG was waiting when I got home. I was able to forward it to someone I have been believing with for her miracle. It encouraged her. Regardless of what we see with our natural eye, by the eye of faith we see prayers answered, miracles experienced and people possessing their promise.
This blog makes me wonder if I have taken a longer journey in certain areas of my life due to my unbelief. Why did it take me so long to achieve certain things? I realize that was leading myself. Such tragedy. Doubt and fear even whispered to me at times and I listened. Lord, remind me each day that the promise still stands. Help my unbelief!!’
Thank you Pastor Ryan. This blog is so encouraging. As a believer, there have been many times that I have questioned my belief and faith. I was very frustrated by this, but as I allowed the Holy Spirit to become more and more apart of me, and to lean on his counsel, I now realize that Jesus is in my heart, mind, and soul. Whenever doubts enter my mind, I push back on these doubts by talking to the Holy Spirit who reassures me that I am a child of God.
Perfect! Lord, I believe, help my unbelief... this is exactly how I feel or think at times for my life!
nThank you for the blog... this really helps me tremendously.
nGod bless you, Pastor.