We live in societies that often demand evidence before action and certainty before commitment. Daring to believe can feel like a radical, even reckless act. Yet, for the Christian believer, faith is not merely a comforting ideal but a call to action,  a leap into the arms of a God who sees beyond our doubts and fears.

One of the most striking biblical accounts of this tension between skepticism and faith is found in the story of Nathanael. When Philip excitedly told Nathanael that they had found the one Moses wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael’s immediate response was skepticism: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46). His doubt was honest, even blunt. 

Nazareth was an unremarkable place, unlikely to produce a Messiah. But when Nathanael met Jesus, everything changed. Jesus greeted him not with rebuke, but with a miraculous insight: He recounted the private conversation Nathanael had just had with Philip, and revealed knowledge of Nathanael’s heart. Stunned, Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Nathanael’s leap from doubt to belief began not with evidence he could see, but with an encounter that challenged his assumptions and called him to trust.

I have found myself in Nathanael’s shoes more times than I can count. There have been moments in my life when the odds were stacked against me, when the logical, rational thing would have been to give up or settle for less. I remember years ago applying for a role in an organisation I worked for. It was a position for which I was fully qualified. Despite HR’s assurances, the manager refused to approve my application. There was no personal animosity, or professional shortcoming; he simply didn’t see me as the right fit.

 It would have been easy to let discouragement take over, to believe that perhaps I was aiming too high. But I chose to trust God, believing that if this door remained closed, He would open another. I continued to do my work faithfully, even as disappointment lingered. Months later, God provided an equivalent role in another organization, this time with better pay and opportunities. When I went to my manager to give him the news, he could not hide his shock. His first instinct was to ask, “how?” but he quickly adjusted and congratiulated me. For the rest of my time there, the manager kept looking at me as if I was a strange person. In that moment, daring to believe meant trusting God’s timing and provision, even when others thought my hope was misplaced.

At the core of daring belief is faith—a conviction that goes beyond wishful thinking. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). Faith, by its very nature, defies what makes sense to the natural mind. Its anchor is not in our abilities or the assurances of others, but in the character and promises of God.

A powerful example of daring faith is found in the story of Peter walking on water as narrated in Matthew 14:26-31.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the stormy sea, they were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. But Jesus called out, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Peter, ever impulsive, replied, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” At Jesus’ invitation, Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Him. For a moment, Peter did the impossible, not because the circumstances were favorable, but because his eyes were fixed on Jesus. It was only when he noticed the wind and waves that fear took over and he began to sink. Yet even then, Jesus reached out and caught him, affirming that even faltering faith is met with grace.

These stories, both ancient and modern, remind us that daring to believe is not about denying reality or ignoring our doubts. It is about choosing to trust God’s goodness and power above the voices that say, “It can’t be done.” It is about stepping out, sometimes trembling, into the unknown, believing that God is already there, ready to meet us in ways we never imagined.

Perhaps you find yourself today facing an insurmountable challenge, a dream that seems out of reach, a relationship that feels beyond repair, a situation that defies easy answers. The world may call your hope naïve, your faith unrealistic. But remember, faith is not about the absence of fear or doubt. It is about moving forward in spite of them, anchored in the assurance that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

So dare to believe. Dare to trust that God sees you, knows your heart, and is working on your behalf, even when you cannot see it. Let your faith be the bridge between where you are and where God is calling you to be. 

In the end, it is not the size of our faith that matters, but the greatness of the One in whom we believe.