There once was a tightrope walker who was going to walk across the Grand Canyon blindfolded pushing a wheelbarrow. On the day he was to do the feat, people from all over came to witness the stunt. Whether they were hoping to see him succeed or the carnage of his failure, they lined up from all around.
When the time came, the tightrope walker made it successfully to the other side! Upon his victory, he turned to a reporter and asked, “Do you believe I can do it?” The reporter responded, “Of course I do, I just saw you do it.” This answer did not satisfy the stuntman as he asked again, “Do you believe I can do it?” Again, the reporter answered, “Of course I do, I just saw you do it.” The tightrope walker asked a third time, “But do you believe I can do it.” Again, the reporter answered, “Of course I do.” With this response, the tightrope walker said, “Get in the wheelbarrow.”
Life is full of challenges. There are times when we only believe we can succeed after we have. Be it a task at work, a test at school, or a confrontation at home, we might think we are doomed to failure until the surprise of finding firm footing at the other end of the tightrope. And there are times when we think life will be much easier than it has been, only to find ourselves gasping for air at the end. Regardless of the tightropes we must walk, in order to succeed, we must first believe that we can! The Little Engine That Could was on to something here.
But when we peer out over the Grand Canyon of doubt we might think the task at hand is utterly impossible. That is where faith comes in! Hebrews 11.1 tells us this about faith, “[Faith] is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” (NLT) We might never think we’ll get to the other side, but the Bible tells us that if we believe it, we can achieve it.
There is an awesome story in the Gospel of Mark about the power of faith and belief. A father whose son had been possessed by an evil spirit comes to Jesus asking for help. The man pleads with Jesus saying, “‘if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, "If you are able! — All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’(Mark 9.23-24, NLT, emphasis mine)
All too often, we find ourselves in the place of the father—wanting, needing something to happen. We have faith that Jesus can do it, but we do not believe anything can be done. We fear the unknown. We fear a lost cause lost. We fear the inaccurate inevitable. Yet Jesus tells us that all things can be done for the one who believes. What’s left is unbelief! And when we surrender our unbelief to the One who can do something with it, then Jesus says, “I AM able. I can work with that!” I’ll not only help your child, your spouse, your parent, yourself, but I’ll help your unbelief. That, my friends, is where the miracle begins.
So in the midst of life’s tightropes, do not forget that with God nothing is impossible. Do not forget that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Turn in prayerful faith to the One who can cure any ailment, ease any heart, and even conquer the grave. And believe Him when He tells you, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11.24, NLT)
When the time came, the tightrope walker made it successfully to the other side! Upon his victory, he turned to a reporter and asked, “Do you believe I can do it?” The reporter responded, “Of course I do, I just saw you do it.” This answer did not satisfy the stuntman as he asked again, “Do you believe I can do it?” Again, the reporter answered, “Of course I do, I just saw you do it.” The tightrope walker asked a third time, “But do you believe I can do it.” Again, the reporter answered, “Of course I do.” With this response, the tightrope walker said, “Get in the wheelbarrow.”
Life is full of challenges. There are times when we only believe we can succeed after we have. Be it a task at work, a test at school, or a confrontation at home, we might think we are doomed to failure until the surprise of finding firm footing at the other end of the tightrope. And there are times when we think life will be much easier than it has been, only to find ourselves gasping for air at the end. Regardless of the tightropes we must walk, in order to succeed, we must first believe that we can! The Little Engine That Could was on to something here.
But when we peer out over the Grand Canyon of doubt we might think the task at hand is utterly impossible. That is where faith comes in! Hebrews 11.1 tells us this about faith, “[Faith] is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” (NLT) We might never think we’ll get to the other side, but the Bible tells us that if we believe it, we can achieve it.
There is an awesome story in the Gospel of Mark about the power of faith and belief. A father whose son had been possessed by an evil spirit comes to Jesus asking for help. The man pleads with Jesus saying, “‘if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, "If you are able! — All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’(Mark 9.23-24, NLT, emphasis mine)
All too often, we find ourselves in the place of the father—wanting, needing something to happen. We have faith that Jesus can do it, but we do not believe anything can be done. We fear the unknown. We fear a lost cause lost. We fear the inaccurate inevitable. Yet Jesus tells us that all things can be done for the one who believes. What’s left is unbelief! And when we surrender our unbelief to the One who can do something with it, then Jesus says, “I AM able. I can work with that!” I’ll not only help your child, your spouse, your parent, yourself, but I’ll help your unbelief. That, my friends, is where the miracle begins.
So in the midst of life’s tightropes, do not forget that with God nothing is impossible. Do not forget that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Turn in prayerful faith to the One who can cure any ailment, ease any heart, and even conquer the grave. And believe Him when He tells you, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11.24, NLT)
