Faith and Risk

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11

            The Bible says faith is "the evidence of things not seen."  In part, this implies that with faith there is some element of risk.  Now, I don't mean risk in the sense that God will fail to carry out his promises.  I mean risk in the sense that we act upon His word without seeing with our eyes, touching with our hands, or hearing with our ears the reality of what we are acting upon.  So faith, at least from our vantage point, requires some risk.  It means that in a very real way we put our lives on the line for what we believe.  We should question whether our faith is genuine if we aren't willing to take action that involves risk.  No wonder we refer to the people in Hebrews chapter 11 as "heroes of the faith!"  They risked comfort, possession, security, reputation, and family for the sake of believing and obeying God. 

            What are we laying on the line by faith?  What are we doing that, if God doesn't come through, we are sunk?  What are we believing God for that we haven't already come up with a Plan B "just in case?"  Where are the heroes of faith today who are willing to take great risks in faith?  Didn't Jesus say, "Anyone who tries to save his life will lose it?"  Aren't we just clinging to our lives in unbelief, unwilling to stake our lives on the Word of God?

            Recently I watched "First Knight," a film about Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table.  At the beginning of the film, Lancelot was making money by traveling from town to town challenging men to sword fights.  A man named Mark, who he had just beaten by knocking his sword out of his hand, came to him and asked him how he had done it.  Listen to the dialog.

            Mark - "Show me how. I can learn."

            Lancelot - "First, study your opponent, his every move - so you know what he is going to do before he does it."

            Mark - "I can do that!"

            Lancelot - "You have to know that one moment in every fight when you win or lose and you have to wait for it."

            Mark - "I can do that"

            Lancelot - "You have to not care whether you live or die."

            Mark - just fearful silence.

            The truth is most of us want to make a difference for the sake of the kingdom.  We want to put the enemy to flight.  We want to make the gates of hell shake.  We pray and hope and study and proclaim, "Show me I can learn," and "I can do that!"  But the one vitally important element that makes all the difference in the world between a Mark and a Lancelot is not in studying technique or in trumpeting our abilities but in considering ourselves as already dead with nothing to lose.  Or as Jesus said, "the one who loses his life for my sake, will find it!"