♪A Note of Thanks ♪
"All the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever." Genesis 13:15 (NIV)
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
A Word of Hope and Encouragement
I have read some amazing information about an antelope known as the African impala. These residents of southern and eastern Africa are amazing leapers. They can jump to a height of over 10 feet. One leap can cover a distance greater than 30 feet. Yet, these magnificent animals can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a three foot high wall. You see, impalas will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.
That is a wise, conservative approach to life. Do not jump if you cannot see where your feet will fall. We have an adage about that, don't we? "Look before you leap." How different that approach to life is from the life of faith as described in the 11th chapter of Hebrews: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." How's that for a working definition of faith? "Sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." That's the very opposite of "look before you leap." Faith is jumping without being able to see where our feet will fall.
There's a story of a little boy on the second floor of a burning building. "Jump!" his father calls out to him. "I will catch you." The little boy cries out timidly, "But father, I can't see you." And his father says, "Yes, but I can see you."
We see examples of such faith in the Bible: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith, he made his home in the promised-land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
God, who gives to the bird the instinct to cross the continent in search of summer sunshine in a southern climate, is too good to deceive it. And just as surely as He has put the instinct in the breast of the bird, so has He also put the balmy breezes and the vernal sunshine there to meet it when it arrives at its destination.
He who gave to Abraham the vision of the Land of Promise, also said in infinite truth and love: "All the land that you see, I will give to you." He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization. There is nothing unfaithful in Him who has said: "If it were not so, I would have told you." God will never deceive us or fail us, but all that He reveals by His Holy Spirit He will make our own as we press forward and trust in Him. We will begin to see what seemingly was impossible become possible. We will begin to see what seems overwhelming to us and perhaps we feel is difficult become easy as we help each other by showing and demonstrating God's love to those around us.
We can do heroic things if we dared live out our faith. We could change our family, change our community and change our world. All we have to do is to be willing to jump even when we cannot see where our feet may fall. All we have to do is be willing to work toward the coming of the reign of God in a world of confusion and doubt. Instead, like the African impala, we have imprisoned ourselves behind a three-foot wall of doubt.
Creator of us all, free us from the walls that imprison us and prevent us from being who you have called us to be. Lord, give us the vision, as you did Abraham to launch out in faith. Thank you for leading us and guiding us as we go into the Land of Promise. Thank you, God, for our community of faith. Give us strength, energy and joy as we embark upon new untraveled territories in our lives. We put our trust in You. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve with you.
With joy in my heart, I remain,
Your friend,
Mark David Jackson
