When Faith Needed Feet

This essay is part 3 in a series on Matt 7:7

Part 1: I Was Stuck at Asking — Why asking alone left me restless

Part 2: When Pain Became a Full Stop — How slowing down helped me seek God again

At some point, seeking turns into knocking. And that is where things can get uncomfortable.

Because asking can happen from the couch.
Seeking can happen in the quiet.
But knocking usually requires movement.

A step. A decision. A willingness to move toward the door before you know exactly what is on the other side.

And for me, that part felt a little ironic. Because I was still recovering from a broken foot.

Nothing says “faith in motion” quite like hobbling through life in a boot.

But that was the season I found myself in.

I had spent weeks slowing down. Reading Scripture. Praying differently. Seeking God instead of just asking Him for direction. And somewhere toward the end of that recovery, I knew something needed to change.

For a while, I had been asking God to guide my business.

“Lord, show me what to do with Fresh Impact.” “Lord, make the next step clear.” “Lord, help me know which opportunity is right.”

But the more I sought Him, the more I realized the deeper issue was not business strategy.

It was relationship.

I did not need another shiny opportunity to evaluate. I needed to be close to God.

So I messaged my business coach. And I asked if we could shift our coaching from business strategy to strengthening my relationship with God.

That sounds simple now.
But it felt like a big step.

Because business coaching made sense. It was practical. Measurable. Productive.

Relationship with God?
That felt more tender. More personal. Less controllable.

But thankfully, she agreed. And that became one of my first knocks.

Not dramatic. Not flashy. Just obedience.

A quiet decision that said, “God, I do not want to keep asking You to bless my work while neglecting my relationship with You.”

Then came another step. The Refined Conference.

I have not traveled much on my own. And flying while still recovering, still needing a boot, still not feeling completely steady, was not exactly my idea of a relaxing spiritual retreat.

There were plenty of reasons to stay home. It would be easier. More comfortable. More practical. And I do love practical.

But I also knew this was one of those moments where faith needed feet.

Even if one of them was still healing. So I went.

And I do not want to overspiritualize it into a movie scene where the clouds parted, and the airport security line became a holy experience.

It was still travel. It was still inconvenient. I still had to navigate the normal things. (and not so normal things…I wrote about it HERE.)

But obedience often looks like that. Not magical.

Just faithful. One next step at a time.

Matthew 7:7 says, “Knock, and it will be opened to you.”

For a long time, I think I pictured knocking as begging God to open something. But now I wonder if knocking is also about participation.

It is moving toward the door.
It is showing up.
It is taking the step that matches the prayer.
Not striving. Not forcing. Not trying to kick the door down and call it faith.

Just knocking.

Trusting.

Taking the next obedient step.

Sometimes knocking looks like sending the message.
Sometimes it looks like booking the flight.
Sometimes it looks like saying no to the opportunity that looks good on paper because your soul is unsettled.
Sometimes it looks like admitting, “I do not need more success if it costs me closeness with God.”
That is not always easy.

Especially when the world celebrates motion. More growth. More strategy. More visibility. More doing.

But Kingdom obedience often looks smaller and quieter and more surrendered.

I am learning that knocking is not about proving my faith to God. It is about responding to Him. It is asking, seeking, and then taking the next step with Him. Not ahead of Him. Not around Him. With Him.

And maybe that is the part I needed most. Because I wanted God to open doors from far away.

I wanted clarity before movement. I wanted assurance before obedience. I wanted to know exactly how it would turn out.

But faith does not usually work that way. Sometimes God gives enough light for the next step, not the whole staircase.

And sometimes He waits for us to walk up and knock.

In a boot.
With a little fear.
With a lot of dependence.
With no guarantee except His presence.
And maybe that is enough.

Actually, I am learning it is more than enough.

In this 4-week series:

Part 1: Asking
Part 2: Seeking
Part 3: Knocking
Part 4: Ask. Seek. Knock. Repeat.

Next week, I’ll share the final part of this series — Why the answer was never the whole point.