Do we believe the God we believe in – The wheelbarrow test

Isaiah 26:4  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.  

One of the silent predicaments of our present time is for Christians to discern between faith and trust.  These two virtues are often confused: many who proclaim FAITH in an omnipotent, spectacular God do not always TRUST His involvement or abilities, setting Him aside as an impotent, spectator God.

Whether it be South Africans facing the prospect of violent protests and crippling load-shedding, Americans facing the uncertainty of a nation-dividing election, Brits dealing with the isolation of Brexit, or Europeans dealing with fears of a looming nuclear war – it always boils down to the reality that in the hearts of many who have FAITH, there may be a lack of TRUST.  We believe God is sovereign, but we act like He has lost control.  We have faith that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (we even quote the Scripture verse) but we act like God is absent from global events. We believe that our God has conquered death yet the fear of the enemy paralyzes our obedience.

• FAITH is believing in God.
• TRUST is believing the God we believe in.

Trust is ‘faith with feet’, bearing fruit in our thoughts and actions.

While faith says “God can”, trust says “God is”.  When God introduced Himself to Moses, it was not a God of FAITH but a God of TRUST:  “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), implying that He can be trusted.

• Faith without trust is superstition, trust without faith is supposition.
• Faith has expectations, trust has experience.
• Faith has vision, trust has memory.
• Faith is innocent, trust is intelligent.
• Faith believes, trust observes.
• Faith is a noun (something I “have”), trust is a verb (something I “do”).

A good analogy of this principle is the true story of Jean Francois Gravelot, also known as the “The Great Blondin”[1]

“In the late 1800s, there was a great performer named Jean Francois Gravelot. He was known as ‘The Great Blondin’. He was a daredevil of sorts: a tightrope walker specifically. One of his greatest stunts involved walking a tightrope high above the world-famous Niagara Falls.Blondin was quite the showman – he had a knack for engaging the crowd, stirring the suspense and excitement. Upon completing one attempt, he asked the crowd if they believed a second attempt would be a successful one. The crowd unanimously agreed it would. Always looking to better his last great feat, Blondin now asked the crowd if they believed he could cross the falls on the tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow. Having seen his previous stunt, and how seemingly easy it was for him, the crowd had no doubt he could pull off this new, more difficult one. Again, the response was unanimous: the crowd had no doubt ‘The Great Blondin’ could do it!

Blondin was ready to attempt this amazing feat that only he could do, but before he set out on the rope, he had one last question for the crowd: ‘Which of you will ride in the wheelbarrow?’ The crowd was frozen, still, silent. Not a single man or woman responded to his challenge…  All of those people had witnessed Blondin cross the falls on the rope; they had gained first-hand knowledge of his abilities. They had a well-founded belief that he could perform the more difficult stunt. Yet, when it came time to act on those beliefs, they were silent. They did not trust him.

Many of us have seen what God can do, and we believe (have faith). When He calls us to ‘ride’ with Him (trust Him), will we sit silent? Will we stand still?”

What a glorious thought to know there is one God who is not asking for a ‘blind faith of submission’, but who has proven Himself trustworthy by doing what He promised and doing so at the cost of Himself. For “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Verse 14 says that “we are His friends if we do what He commands”. Trust Him! He is in control.

Being transformed into a Christ consciousness will require that we soupify our attitude of belief into an act of trust.  Get in the wheelbarrow and fly!

From the book:  SOUPIFIED.  For more information contact Mike at thirdwayinfo@gmail.com

 

[1] From the website http://christianity.yoexpert.com/christianity-general/what-is-the-difference-between-faith-and-trust-20479.html