Facing the Cliffs

So this week one of my favorite movies was on the television.  Princess Bride!  A story of Wesley, a peasant  who is in love with a rich family's daughter, and the feeling is mutual.  As the story progresses, Buttercup (the daughter) is kidnapped and Wesley goes in pursuit.

Buttercup's captors carry her up an enormous cliff, and what does Wesley do?  He goes right after her.

Why do I tell you this story?  The other day, Thursday to be exact, Colleen and I were in Grande Prairie getting things together for our trip to Ukraine and she asked a simple question ,"What do we do if our house doesn't sell?"  Do we go?  Do we stay?

My simple answer was, "I don't know!  God has called us to faith and to trust in the impossible, yet He has created us with a head on our shoulder to make common sense decisions as well.  It was a simple question with infinite possibilities, well, actually only two.  Go or don't go.

With all of this stewing in my head, little did I know the answer to our question arrived in a sermon preached by a fellow student in my preaching class.  The sermon was on the book of Joshua.  Three points made were God gives us His Presence, His Protection and His Promise!

Joshua 1, Moses has since died and Joshua is now in charge.  God tells him,

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  (Joshua 1:9)

The spies when they surveyed Jericho had to rely on God for protection as they hid in the house of Rahab the prostitute.  Imagine you are in downtown Calgary and a prostitute invites you her house.  Okay, now everyone who would go stay at her house, raise your hand.  Not a lot of hands went up, including mine.  God shows us that impossible circumstances show Him.  In our weakness He is shown because we are not able to do anything but look only to Him!

Thirdly, His Promise!  Here where the question was answered!  God is with us, God protects us, and He has given us His Promise with these things, it is not a whimsical thing, but a Promise from God the Almighty Creator of the World!

There are numerous stories about impossible circumstances in Joshua.  Marching around the walls and having them fall, crossing the Jordan, and then circumcising the whole nation to sit and wait and trust in the Lord for His protection.

But the story that struck me was the priests carrying the ark into the raging Jordan river.

Looking at the picture of the rapids, I would never in a million years step into the river, yet this is what the priests did.  They trusted God amidst turmoil, amidst not knowing what would happen to them, but they knew God told them to go and that is what they did.

So, with much trepidation, I came home and told Colleen the answer, "We will go!"

If the house doesn't sell, We will go!  It is difficult to know I am not in control and we are trusting in Him.

We will climb the cliffs knowing God gives us His Presence, Protection and Promise!