Dr. Ray Pritchard Christian Blog and Commentary

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Walk on Water, Pete!

  • Dr. Ray Pritchard
    Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, an Internet-based ministry serving Christians in 225 countries. He is the author of 29 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain,… More
  • Updated Jul 10, 2009

It was Helen Keller who said, “Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all.” Those words would ring true no matter who said them, but coming from someone who lived a life like Helen Keller, they merit special consideration. Born blind, deaf and unable to speak, she somehow found a way out of the darkness and into the world around her. Her story is one of the great miracles of the twentieth century. Millions of people have drawn inspiration from her example. 

So I ask you to consider her words a second time: “Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all.”

When you bring this observation over into the spiritual realm it looks something like this: The life of faith is inherently a life of risk. Go back to the Bible and take a look at the men and women who did great things for God. Almost without exception, they were risk-takers who weren’t afraid to lay it all on the line for God. Consider these examples . . .

Noah built an ark.
Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees to go to the Promised Land.
Moses led the people of God out of Egypt.
Joshua marched around the walls of Jericho.
David defeated Goliath.
Elijah faced down the prophets of Baal.
Esther risked everything to save her people.
Daniel refused to defile himself with the king’s food.
Nehemiah led the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

When you read the Bible, again and again you discover that the men and women who accomplished great things for God weren’t content to accept the status quo. They thought that more could be done if only someone would lead the way. And when no one else stepped forward, they themselves volunteered. 

When our little children come to Sunday School, what stories do we tell them? The very stories I have just mentioned to you. We tell them about the great heroes of the faith–Noah and Abraham and Moses and David and Daniel and all the rest. We talk about those brave souls who laid it all on the line for God. These are the people we hold up before our children. These are the models we want them to follow.

That is only right and proper because the life of faith is inherently a life of risk. If you are unwilling to take a chance, you can never discover what living by faith is all about. If you have to have all the answers before you make a decision, if you’re afraid to take a step unless you know things will work out to your advantage, faith will always be a mystery to you. 

You can read the rest of the message online.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.