Let go, and let God

Did you hear about the man who fell over a cliff? On the way down he somehow managed to grab hold of an overhanging shrub. Holding on for dear life he looked up to see if anyone could rescue him.  “Help!” He shouted at the top of his voice, “Is there anyone up there?” Suddenly he heard a voice reply, “Yes there is. I am God. I can help you.”  The man shouted back, “What do you want me to do?” The voice said, “Trust Me, just let go and trust Me.”  The man looked down at the rocks below, thought for a moment, then shouted again, “Is there anyone else up there?” Sometimes we are like that. Holding on to something as if our lives depended upon it, when all the time God is saying, “Trust Me, just let go and trust me.” But letting go and letting God seems risky. Having something tangible to cling to appears more reasonable to us than just thin air. Yet the fact remains, faith in God often requires the removal of all props and safety nets, so that we find ourselves trusting completely in Him. 

There is much to admire about Peter’s faith in Christ. In the midst of that raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus appeared to His disciples walking on the water towards them, they were afraid, thinking they had seen a ghost. Peter, not quite sure it was the Lord, cried out, “Lord if it is You, bid me come on the water?” Jesus said, “Come.” And incredibly, Peter took Him at His word, and stepped over the side of the boat and walked on water! Now that really is, ‘letting go, and letting God’ (Mt.14:22-33) Yes, I know he got scared in the end and the Lord had to rescue him.       But let’s give him some credit for at least doing something no other man on earth ever did. 

‘Faith is like muscle which grows stronger and stronger with use, rather than rubber, which weakens when it’s stretched’. J.O. Frazer

Blondin, the famous tightrope walker, once performed his daring feat above Niagara Falls, blindfolded. Afterwards he asked the crowds did they believe he could do it again, only this time pushing a wheelbarrow?  When they all agreed he could do it, Blondin said, “All right then, who’ll be the first to sit in the wheelbarrow?” Not one of those ‘believers’ accepted his offer.

Perhaps today, you need to trust God as you’ve never trusted Him before. So instead of looking at the rocks below, look to Christ, the Rock above. He will never fail you. Let go and let God.  

- Pastor David Goudy