Letting Go is Where Life Begins

Faith to Step Out into an Adventure with the Father

Josh Baldwin loves writing corporate worship songs for the global church. His music is an expression of who God has been for him in every season. As a worship leader, Josh enjoys creating space for people to feel seen, encouraged and invited into intimacy with God – the only place where individuals find true peace and hope. 

Josh’s song, “Into the Wild,” released in 2020 as a part of the album, Evidence. “The original idea for the song,” Josh said, “came from thinking about the journey with the Lord, and how a lot of times it feels crazy – like you’re jumping into something unknown than doing it the safe way.” 

Josh referenced a quote from his pastor who said, “God is good, but He’s not safe.” 

God will ask you to do things that just don’t make sense to you. It can be uncomfortable. And Josh says that’s how the idea for the song started. 

Josh had  the whole song written, but the original first verse didn’t feel authentic to who he is. The day before he recorded it, while taking a shower, he decided to do something else.

You’re singing this tomorrow; you can’t just change it, Josh thought. But in the shower, he began to think about the disciples and how each one of them stepped out to follow the Lord. That led to him to rewriting the first while still in the shower. And the words became …  

There is a calling

You’ve placed upon me

I’ve felt it all my life

Step out with both feet

Walk on the water

 

“I just kept thinking about Peter …. Did he know when he said ‘Yes’ to Jesus that however many months or years later, he would be stepping out of a boat and doing something crazy because of this man he’s following. What a wild adventure is that?” 

The song landed right there for Josh, as he thought first about the disciples and then how stepping out applies in his life.

The Adventure

Josh’s son, Bear stars in the music video – he was seven years old at the time. 

When the creative team suggested it, Josh wasn’t too sure. The whole thing rested on Bear. But in the end, Josh was very proud of him. “It turned out. He did great.” They shot the video at the Redwood Forest.

Josh said, “He got on his bike and was a kid in front of a camera.” The song and the video captured the picture of a father spending time with his son, encouraging his child to step out in faith and to go into the wild on an adventure with His Heavenly Father. 

Your Dream or God’s? 

Sometimes it can be difficult to discern whether or not to pursue a dream. Josh says, that seemed to happen more before he was married. He would start to pursue a dream and then pull back thinking, that’s probably just me and not what the Lord has for me.

Josh says, “The more I read about the Lord … I’m like, He’s given me these dreams. He wants to give me the desires in my heart.”

“My wife is like the walking Holy Spirit in our home,” Josh laughs. “She’s says, ‘Do you think you could dream up something that great? This is the Lord. He wants us to step out.’”

When those ideas come that Josh refers to as crazy – like the idea to move across the country to California and then the idea to move all the way back – he said, “It’s just wild enough that I feel like that is the Lord.”

In those moments, each time Josh and his family step out, things fall into place. Josh begins to ask, “What’s the next move?” He said, “I’ll step out a little and trust the Lord that this is Him, and He starts revealing another piece of it.”

 Josh finds times like that where He is more of a lamp to your feet than He is a light to the whole path. “Other than just asking the Lord and reading in the Word, it takes stepping out. And when He meets me there, I’m going to keep going. I’m going to step out again.” 

Josh admits there are times when he tested it and stepped out to find it’s not the right timing or it isn’t the Lord’s plan. And when that happens, Josh said, “I don’t beat myself up. The more you step out, the more He can trust you with things.” 

Will you take some time today to:

• write down ways you can trust God.
• consider where you think he is calling you to step out in faith?
• talk to God about it.
• take a step this week.

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Go!