Trust Fall
One of my favorite Bible lions is Caleb. His trust in God was radical. When twelve spies returned from scouting the promised land, ten were overwhelmed with fear. But not Caleb. He stood firm and said: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”—Numbers 13:30
That kind of trust doesn’t always win the vote—but it sure inspires me. Caleb’s courage was so deeply rooted that forty years later, at the age of 80, he asked for the land still inhabited by enemy giants. He said he was as strong then as when he was 40 and boldly requested the mountaintop. This guy was still ready to go to war. Still ready for a challenge. Still ready to test himself and to trust God.
He knew who was on his side, and he believed it deeply!
That’s the kind of faith that roars.
I once preached on these very verses in a small church in Kazembe, Zambia. To drive the point home, I decided to incorporate a trust fall as a visual illustration. Two strong friends—Justin and Jacob, who had been working closely with me to dig ditches for our septic line all week—agreed to catch me. These guys were ripped.
I was in good hands.
Our plan in place, when the right moment in my sermon came, I turned my back, fell back into their arms, and…crashed to the floor! They missed. They had one job to do. I crashed onto my elbow. I’d find out after my return to the US,
that it was badly chipped.
So much for the object lesson. But somehow, we moved past it, and I finished the sermon. I rode out the rest of the trip with Advil and with time, the story even became something to smile about.
As I reflect on our family’s move to Zambia all those years ago, with four young boys, and a dream to see a unique youth and kids movement ignited, it was a lot like that trust fall. That trust FAIL! There were moments that hurt. Moments when the rug was pulled out and the plan fell to pieces. Even moments that seemed like failure.
But the miracles and blessings we’ve seen and experienced firsthand
have far outweighed the struggles. And the fact that Orchard is alive and well today is a testament to God’s kindness, strength, and goodness!
Through it all, something grew in us: trust muscles. Risk muscles. Faith muscles. We’ve learned to try, again and again—because we’ve seen God come through in the clutch. We know that the ultimate overcomer is on our side. He is our help. He is our strength. And since our lives are His story anyway, we have become more and more willing to take risks, to look foolish, or go out on a limb for something that matters.
Lions trust big. They fall back with full faith. On the off chance a trust fall sees them landing on their backsides, they don’t stay down. They get back up. They try again.
They turn trust fails into fail forwards.
Caleb believed God’s promise and he received it. He lived fueled by faith and it made him a warrior and leader of note! And in his old age he still had the hunger, drive, and trust in God, by his side, to ask for a mountaintop.
Don’t fear taking a risk.
Don’t let a mistake or failure keep you from the next opportunity.
God is weaving an overcoming warrior story into you— and you will ROAR!