Astronomers Study the Stars — Astronauts Go There

There is a big difference between an astronomer and an astronaut. An astronomer can spend a lifetime studying the stars. They can tell you how far away they are, how they were formed, how they move and what it might take to reach them. But an astronaut says, “Strap me in. I’m going.”

One studies the possibility. The other takes the journey. And I have discovered that there are a whole lot of people going through life like astronomers. They have studied the dream. Researched the opportunity. Analyzed the risk. Talked about the possibilities. Prayed about it. Asked everybody else what they think about it. They have been studying the stars so long that they have forgotten that God may be calling them to leave the ground.

At some point, faith requires movement. The Bible says, “Faith without works is dead.” You can believe all day long, but eventually your belief has to put on some shoes. There comes a moment when you have to stop studying the launch and get in the rocket.

Some of us aren't waiting on God. God is waiting on us. We keep saying, “Lord, show me another sign.” And God is saying, “What did you do with the last one?” We say, “Lord, open the door.” God says, “I opened it six months ago. You’re still standing in the hallway trying to decide whether you should walk through it.”

Here is the problem: we want astronaut results with astronomer behavior. We want to experience something we've never experienced while refusing to do something we've never done. We want certainty before obedience. We want guarantees before movement. We want God to show us the entire journey before we take the first step. But that isn't faith.

Faith is Abraham leaving home without knowing exactly where God was taking him. Faith is Peter stepping out of the boat before he knew whether the water would hold him. Faith is David walking toward Goliath while everybody else was standing back calculating the odds. Sometimes faith looks unreasonable to people who have become comfortable studying possibilities.

There will always be somebody standing safely on the ground explaining why your rocket might explode. They will remind you of everything that could go wrong. “You might fail.” “You might lose money.” “People might laugh at you.” “You might discover you're not ready.” And they may be right.

But here's another possibility: You might fly. You might discover that there was more inside of you than you ever imagined. You might find out that the thing you have been praying about has been waiting on the other side of your courage. You might discover that God wasn't asking you to understand everything.

He was asking you to trust Him enough to move. Don't misunderstand me. Preparation matters. Education matters. Research matters. Wisdom matters. Astronomers serve an important purpose. But eventually there comes a point when more research becomes an excuse for fear. Sometimes we call it “waiting on God” when the truth is we're scared to launch.

You have studied enough. You have talked enough. You have analyzed enough. You have attended enough seminars. You have watched enough other people do what God put in your heart to do. At some point you have to decide: Am I going to spend the rest of my life studying the stars, or am I going to reach for one? Because cemeteries are filled with people who had ideas they never launched, books they never wrote, businesses they never started, ministries they never built, apologies they never offered and dreams they never pursued.

Don't let fear turn your calling into a research project. The rocket will shake. The countdown will make your heart race. You may question yourself right up until liftoff. But courage isn't the absence of fear. Courage is deciding that your purpose is bigger than your fear.

So when God gives you the green light, quit asking everybody standing on the ground whether you should fly. Buckle your seat belt. Trust what God placed inside you. Count it down. 5…4…3…2…1… And launch. Because you weren't created just to look at the stars. Maybe God created you to become proof that somebody from where you came from could actually reach them.

And here's the word from the pew: Stop studying the life God is calling you to live. Start living it. The astronomer asks, “What if?” The astronaut says, “Let's find out.” Sometimes the greatest act of faith is simply being willing to leave the ground.