Have Faith In God

Years ago I read a story about Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. He said that before he broke the sound barrier many people (including many scientists) said that the sound barrier was like a brick wall: if you try to go through it, your plane would disintegrate and you would be smashed to bits. A few scientists believed that the pilot would instantly age. Some even said that the pilot's heart would explode. Yeager said that the amazing thing about flying faster than the speed of sound was how easy it was-no brick wall, no disintegrated plane. The flight was so smooth that Yeager said his grandmother could have sipped lemonade in the backseat.

In telling the story of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager made this profound point. He said, "You know, there never was a sound barrier. The speed of sound was never the real problem. The only barrier that ever existed was in our minds as a result of past failures and past experiences."

"I can't" was the response of almost everyone in the Bible that God called to significant ministry. Moses said, "Pick someone else; I'm not a good speaker, Lord." Jeremiah said, "I'm too young." Peter said, "I'm too sinful." Gideon said, "I'm too weak and my family background is too insignificant."

Fear comes as the result of facing a barrier that we don't think we can get through.

"I can't go back to school. I'm too old; I never was a good student."
"I can't break out of this destructive relationship; it's the best I can hope for."
"I can't have this baby now because I am unmarried. I've got to abort it."
"I can't be trained for leadership in the church; I'm not gifted enough to handle leadership."

Barrier breaking is not simply a matter of good old American can-do positive thinking. Barrier breaking has everything to do with Jesus' statement, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). Hudson Taylor, the great 19th century missionary to China liked to render Jesus' command, "Have faith in God," with the words "reckon on [count on] the faithfulness of God." The reason you and I can break barriers that have always existed in our minds is because God is faithful in assisting us in the doing of his will.

My wife, Marlene, is temperamentally somewhat introverted. She is the last person in the world to grab the limelight or to want to be up on a stage in front of a room full of strangers. But God had different plans for Marlene. Over the years, God has persistently and lovingly forced Marlene out of her comfort zone to minister in more and more challenging settings. This past weekend Marlene taught 500 Anglican women (knowing only two of them previously). The conference was a smashing success because of the faithfulness of God.

Marlene said, "Over the years God has repeatedly shown me that if I obey him, he will be faithful to assist me." Then she made this interesting observation: "How can I (as the women's pastor of Vineyard Columbus) ask women to move beyond their comfort zones in leading and ministering unless I am willing to move beyond my own comfort zone. I wonder if God has made me the way I am so that other women can see it is not because of my natural personality or temperament that I am able to do these things, but only because of the faithfulness of God. Perhaps God chose someone like me as an encouragement that God can and will use anyone who will submit to his will."

Hudson Taylor also taught that God's faithfulness does not only work in the "spiritual" realm, but also in the "material" realm. Taylor taught that "we can count on God's faithfulness when needing money as much as when seeking converts." One of Hudson Taylor's best known aphorisms was "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply."

Is there a barrier that you have been afraid to break? Perhaps for you it is as simple as finally taking the step of joining a small group - a women's group or a men's group. For some of you it is getting back into some ministry after allowing yourself to sit on the sidelines for a period of time. Maybe it's taking a short-term missions trip with the eye toward more significant foreign missions service. Or perhaps Christ wants you to be involved politically or in a leadership position in our community. Or it may be going back to school and finally getting your degree despite the fact that it has been years since you've had to study or take exams.

As your pastor, I'd like to propose this question to you: "Where have you been saying to God, 'I can't!" Jesus would say to you, "Break barriers by reckoning on the faithfulness of God! Have faith in God!"