5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Its hard to risk because we don’t know the future! Right? No matter what kind of crazy algebra we try to use to discern what the future might look like, we will get it wrong. And when we see this truth, we can go insane our entire lives trying to figure out the mysteries of life and the future or we can enjoy the adventure.
Our faith in God allows us to enjoy life in a unique way because we are able to see the whole world through the lens of God’s care, concern, and love for us. We know that at the heart of kingdom risk is trust in God. In fact, I would say that God-honoring risk is trust in action.
When we get to this moment of realization, all of our concern for the future, all our concern for safety, goes out the door. And suddenly we can live our lives free from the myth of safety. We see that safety doesn’t come from anything we can do or plan or prepare for. Real safety is knowing that God is with us and will never forsake us. And that will never change.
And when we see this, we suddenly get to the point where we realize that no matter what decision we make, if we love God and follow His ways, we are in God’s hands. And because of this we are free to sow. And we are free to move. And we are free to risk. Ecclesiastes goes on to say…
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
We were made to sow. We were made for God-honoring risk. In short, we were made to live our lives remembering that God is in control of the details. We are made for a faith that isn’t just worth living for…but for a faith worth dying for too. A faith that is worth risking everything to ensure that Jesus’ kingdom dream will become a reality here in our midst.
Because without risk…
- Moses would never have gone back to Egypt
- Elijah would not have faced the prophets of Baal
- Esther would not have appealed to the King for the lives of her people
- Daniel would not have prayed three times a day
- David would not have stood before Goliath
- Rahab would not have helped the Israelites
- Peter would not have stepped out of the boat
- Paul would not have gone on his missionary journeys
For each of the people I just named, a God-honoring risk defined their entire lives. At the center of every great Christian life is a decision to risk. A decision to trust God even when it feels hard. What risk is that for you today?
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