I was reminded recently of a story I enjoyed when I first heard it, and it’s taken on even more meaning for me today. A flood threatens a town, and everyone is forced to evacuate. One resident, who views himself as a “devout man,” decides to stay because he knows God will save him. As the water rises in the town, a small family in a row boat passes by and offers the man a ride to safety. The man replies, “No thanks. I know God will save me.” The water continues to rise, and the man is forced to seek higher ground and eventually finds himself on his rooftop. About that time, a search and rescue boat comes by and tries desperately to convince the man to leave. “I don’t need your help, I know God will save me,” he replied. The water continued to rise, more rapidly now, and it would soon wash the man off his roof to a certain death. A rescue helicopter hovering above dropped a rope ladder to the man in one last attempt, but the man stood firm on his decision to wait for God. Just as the rescue workers knew would happen, the man was soon swept away to his death in the turbulent, debris-filled water. When he reached heaven and stood before God, he asked, “God, where were you? Why didn’t you save me?” God replied, “I sent three different groups of people to you, but you just wouldn’t let them help.”
Like I said, I enjoyed this story very much the first time I heard it, but it has even more meaning in my life today. The moral of the story is simple. Real faith is not just belief, it’s obedient and it leads to action. As Christians, we believe God will provide for us and take care of us, but that alone is not faith. Faith leads us to accept God’s help in its many forms, most of which are unknown to us at the time. This may seem easy to understand now, but it often proves difficult to remember when we face struggles in life.
When we face difficult situations in life, three things are always the same. God knew beforehand it would happen, He knows how to get us through it, and He already has a plan to help us. Most of us accept these things about God, but we struggle with one major thing. Sometimes we expect God to do all the work, including the parts that we can do for ourselves.
If you’ve ever had to move to a new place, you know how stressful and difficult that process can be. If you’re a Christian, you probably prayed for God to help you as you looked for a new home. If you were to use the same logic as the man in the story, you would have prayed and then done nothing but wait for God to move you Himself. Of course, we know that’s not the way God really works. God may open many doors for us, or He may open just one, but the fact remains we have to walk through the door to get on the other side.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes the following, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” No matter what the situation, God promises us a safe path through it. Our belief leads us to accept that as truth, and our faith leads us to act on that belief by looking for the opportunities God has made available and doing whatever we can to make use of them. When you pray, do you expect God to do all the work, or are you willing to meet Him halfway?
On this blog, you'll find Bible-based articles covering a wide range of issues that affect us all. I try to write in such a way where everyone can gain something from reading without being lost in church lingo. For that reason, I hope this will grow into an effective tool for evangelism. As you read, if you find something you enjoy, please remember your non-Christian friends and family members and forward them an article by email. I hope you find these reflections encouraging and challenging.
About Me
Most of the people reading this already know me well, but there may be some who don't. Where do I start? Well, my wife and I live in Fulton, MO which we think is one of the greatest places on earth. Of course, that probably has a lot to do with the many amazing people who live here as well. We are both Christians, so our life is happily centered around serving God and serving other people. I serve as the Family and Youth Minister at the Fulton Church of Christ where I have the pleasure of working with many fantastic families as we grow in our faith and relationship with Christ. In short, we love God and His children, we love to serve, and we look forward to sharing the Gospel message with others as we travel along God's path for us.
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