Senseless Trust

Once upon a time, an over achieving man wanted to conquer the highest summit in the land. He decided in is heart that he would climb this mountain in record time and that he would push himself to the limit to achieve his goal. For days he climbed until, one day, his ambition pushed him to climb for a longer time than usual and he passed a planned pit stop. Before he knew it, it was dark and he was getting real cold and hanging uncomfortably on a cliff. His concentration slipped for a second and he fell a few metres but managed to use his climbing hammer to hit a rock and hung on. Now scared, he clung to his equipment and sent out a prayer. Out of nowhere, he heard the voice of God calmly saying, ‘Let go.’

‘For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.’ (1 Cor1:22-23) 

This week, I’ve learned it is not always easy to trust God. Being in control or wanting to know how things work is human nature. I have often tried to understand and make sense of the things of God and came short. I have done things and came to conclusions which I often assume are what God wants; not because God has spoken but because it made sense at the time that that is what God would want. Often, what God is really saying, sounded foolish. It did not make a lot of sense. I know another man who thought as I did. The patriarch of the Jewish faith and our great faith ancestor: Abraham.

God’s promise to Abraham did not make sense. Think about it. At age 75 (his wife being about 65), God calls Abraham and tells him he will have innumerable descendants. He was told to leave all that he knew and go to a place he has not seen. His father must have been like, “Really? You are going to some unknown land that some unseen God will show you and have many kids?Bakuloyilewena!”(Okay, so maybe he did not speak Xhosa but it wasn’t English either so there.) It did not make sense. Abraham did not always trust God either. In Gen 16, he makes a plan with his wife to make his promise happen. He was aging, and what God said to him sounded foolish. This resulted in the birth of Ismael and also animosity not only between Sarah and Hagar, but also, millennia later and even today, the descendants of Ismael and Isaac, all because he did not trust God. 

As our theme scripture shows, God uses what seems foolish in order to shame the thinkers and the religious. The fact that Messiah came as a normal, poor man and not a political king did not make sense to the religious people of those times. Jesus saving those who believed from the wrath of God by dying on the cross and then coming back to life did not make sense to the intellectual Greeks of Paul’s day. This is true even today because many say they will believe when they see a sign or don’t believe because it all sounds stupid. “But to those who called, both religious and intellectual, it is Christ the power and wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:24 paraphrased)

The man in our opening story froze overnight. He was later found, hanging just a metre away from the ground. It did not make sense to let go, but God knows what He is doing. He knows what He is doing even in your life. He has been doing for ages and has a perfect track record. Trust Him, even when it does not make sense. Indeed, trust Him especially when it does not make sense.

You know the drill. If you like, share it and follow!

Yours in Christ

Yunam