Make a difference – Day 4

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:4-5

Previously, we spoke of hope and how it sometimes emerges as the only thing people have left to hold on to in their lives, at a time when all else appears lost. Refugees around the world seek shelter beyond the borders of their homeland, driven by the hope of finding security elsewhere for themselves and their families. Added to hope is often another element: faith. Today, we look at how faith and hope are linked.

Hebrews 11:1,6 tells us: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

It was surely faith, added to the hope of saving her children and herself that led a courageous mother, with her young children, to walk thousands of kilometres from Rwanda to South Africa. Only God could enable them to escape the horrors of war and violence in their own country, and arrive safely at their destination. He did and this changed their lives!

People who step out in faith make a difference, as they are able to see the big picture and can “see” further than the limitations of their lives. They hope in someone bigger than themselves. When our faith and hope are in him, God’s power shields us and continues to do so until Jesus returns and salvation is complete. But, our faith must be active. I was greatly surprised to find that Moses behaved with his faith as we so often do with ours.

Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt by faith. He knew God and wanted to be obedient to him. But when they had left, the Egyptian army chased after them, the Israelites were terrified when they saw them pursuing them (wouldn’t we be too?) and cried out to God to save them. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea … so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.’” (Exodus 14:15-16)

God had his perfect plan for their safety, but Moses and the Israelites were hindering it by being rooted to the ground in fear, instead of moving forward. When they obeyed and, literally, walked forward in faith, they were saved.

Do we also hinder God’s perfect plans by being too frightened to do what he has told us to do? If we want to make a difference, it is vital for us to put our faith in action and to grow.