Charles Blondin was a well-known French tightrope walker. In 1860, he was the first person to cross the 340-meter Niagara Falls on a rope. He went back and forth across the Falls a few times at almost 50 meter in the air. Every time, setting himself a bigger challenge: On stilts, on a bicycle, in the dark, carrying a man on his back, and even blindfolded. Once, he even baked and ate an omelet in the middle of the rope!

Obviously, an enormous crowd of people watched the whole affair and every attempt that he made. When Blondin repeatedly walked successfully from one side to the other, they would applaud each attempt loudly.

At one of these performances, Blondin asked the audience whether they believed that he would be able to push a person in a wheelbarrow on the rope across the Falls. “For sure”, they screamed.

Then Blondin asked: “OK, then. Who’s getting in?”

The story goes that Blondin couldn’t persuade anyone to get into the wheelbarrow.

The crowd believed that Blondin could push someone across the Falls, but when their belief had to become action, their faith was too thin. Their fear squashed their faith. Suddenly the reality of how high the falls were and the chance that they could lose their lives struck a line through their faith.

How strong is your faith in God? If you were asked today to leave everything and go to another country to proclaim God’s Word full-time, would you do it? If God told you that you no longer needed to be concerned about a salary and food for you and your family, because He would care for you, would you believe Him and do what He is asking you to do?

Let’s be even more direct: If God asked you to stand up for Him there where you work and among your friends, would you do it? After all, you believe in God. After all, you believe that He is almighty and possesses all the power in the world? Would you start doing and believing and trusting that God will do his part?

When I think about faith, I always think about Moses. He must have had a tremendously strong faith. He was called to lead God’s people and what a struggle to get a convoy of a few million Jews out of Egypt! But because he believed, he kept going.

Even when they came to the Red Sea his faith did not desert him. He believed that God would make a way for them. But just see what Moses had to do first. He did not go and stand on a hill at a distance from the action praying for a road to be built. No, only when he stepped into the water did the Red Sea open up before them.

Moses could have made a fool of himself. What if he kept on walking until the water came to his arm pits and there was no way to get through? But Moses looked past the fear of making himself the laughing stock and allowed his faith to make the way.

We must also allow our faith to make the way. We must also put our faith into actions. We must be prepared to get into the wheelbarrow and to believe and trust that God is in control and will not let us fall. Then, one day, the same will be said of us: ²Under God our Savior’s command, I’m writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!

May our faith be strong enough to become actions. Let us not be afraid to do what we believe. May we always keep on believing in Jesus, so that He can be the source of our power and we can make a real difference in God’s world.

Scripture

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Reflection

How strong is your faith?

Where does your faith still fail?

How can you put your faith into action?

Prayer

Jesus Christ, I want to get to that place where I entrust my whole life to You. You are faithful and will never let down the children who believe in You. Take my hand and help me get into the wheelbarrow. Amen.