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human life. God placed in trust with
Noah alllife on earth! And God was
right-Noah did the job. Thankfully,
for you and me!
Mission lmpossible?
Moses didn't exactly volunteer for
his epic accomplishments either.
Check Exodus 3 and 4 for the story.
Moses made every excuse in the
book: "Why me, Lord? Who am 1 to
go talk to Pharaoh? Select someone
else. I'm too old. I've been away too
long and don't even know how to talk
to those people anymore. I'm slow of
speech. Who'll believe me anyway? I
don't even know what name to use for
you!" etc., etc., etc. But in Acts 7:22,
Luke refers to Moses as "mighty in
words and in deeds"!
God knew Moses could do the job;
it didn't matter that
it
seemed like a
"mission impossible." God knew the
power and gifts He was going to
supply-God had more faith in
Moses than Moses had in Moses, or
than Moses had in God at the time!
God trusted Moses with the freeing of
an enslaved people; with the execution
of the fulfillment of His promises to
Abraham more than 400 years before;
with the establishing of an entire na–
tion; with the giving and codification
ofHisownlaw; with theestablishment
of a priesthood, civil and religious
laws; with the power to perform sorne
of the most outstanding miracles ever
recorded; with the ability to endure
putting up with rebellious Israel for 40
years in the wilderness.
And God was right-Moses did
the job!
Abraham and Sarah had their
doubts. They looked at the circum–
stances, their age, the track record of a
barren marriage. They tried to work
outGod's promises sorne other way: by
having Abraham produce an heir
through Hagar. At age 99 and 89 they
both laughed inwardly when God told
them they, Abraham and Sarah, not
any other combination, were going to
have a baby in one year's time! They
couldn't believeit!
ButGod was right again. And when
the baby was born, God had them call
his name "Laughter" (Isaac) to teach
thern and us a lesson. God not only
trusted Abraham to father a child in
his old age, but trusted him to perform
The
PLAIN TRUTH June-July 1979
an unbelievable act of obedience: the
sacrifice of his miraculously born son
Isaac! God was "betting" on Abra–
ham-and both won!
Bettlng on a Wlnner
Consider Job. God put a . lot of faith
in Job. First He brought Job to Sa–
tan's attention, then turned Satan
loose on hirn. Satan did his best to
cause Job to curse God and die. Sa–
tan failed and never would have
brought up the subject again. But
God persisted, pointed out Job again,
and allowed Satan to personally af–
flict Job in every way- physically,
mentally, spiritually- to within an
inch of his life. Job had a problem
God wanted overcome: self-righ–
teousness. But, problem or no, God
wanted Job in His Kingdom. In order
to provide the lesson, God unleashed
the greatest power known, apart
from His own, to affiict Job.
God trusted Job, not only to sur–
vive the onslaught, but to survive it
with greater spiritual stature and
character. God trusted Job to be able
to resist Satan at his best (or worst,
as the case rnay be)!
God was right. God " bet" on
Job-and again won!
The examples of men exerctsmg
faith are too numerous to document,
as Paul said (Heb. 11 :32).
Walking on Water
What about Peter? Now there is
someone·you can identify with. Over–
zealous, naive, suffering from foot–
in-mouth disease, jumping to conclu–
sions, weakening a t the wrong
times-very human . But God be–
lieved he could be a leading apostle.
Remember when Peter tried walk–
ing on water? Jesus was strolling on
the surface and Peter wanted/ to try.
Jesus said: "Come. And when Peter
was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the· water .. .. But ..."
(Matt. 14:29-30).
.
· Walking on water was not an ex–
clusive ability of Jesus. He knew
what He would tell His disciples lat–
er: "He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father" (John
14:12). Granted, it is the power of
God that makes all possible, but the
al! possible is done through, by and
with human beings.
Jesus knew Peter could walk on
water. The problem was Peter didn't
believe Peter could do it-even after
he did it! Peter looked around at the
physical circumstances, lost his
nerve, dropped his eyes from Christ,
and prornptly sank!
That same Peter later preached
and thousands were converted-a
miracle Christ Himself never person–
ally performed! That same Peter
passed by sick people, and they were
healed by the shadow of his passing.
That same Pe.ter exercised the trust
placed in him and the power given:
"Silver and gold have 1 none; but
such as I have give I thee: In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk"! (Acts 3:6.) How
fitting that Peter should be instru–
mental in causing a man to walk who
had never walked! That same Peter
raised the dead.
Whom· Does God Trust?
And God knew he could do all these
things al! along. He trusted Peter
(and all the other apostles) with ac–
cess to "all power ... in heaven and
in earth" (Matt. 28:18).
What about you? Do you have
faith that God could trust you? Do
you believe God could perform won–
ders through you? Do you think God
likes you? Wants you?
"As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of
God, evento thern that believe on his
narne"! (John 1:12.)
How much power does it take to
become a son of God? Do you doubt
that you
ar~
capable of exercising
such power? Do you doubt God
rneans you when He said, "As rnany
as· received him, to thern gave he
power to become the sons of Goa"?
Do you think God would ever trust
you with power like that?
Wouldn't you like to hear those
words: "Come, ye blessed of my Fa–
ther, inherit the kingdorn prepared
for you frorn the foundation of the
world"! (Matt. 25:34.)
You can do it! God is for you! He is
willing to trust you with His Spirit,
power and rnind!
God knows you can!
Do you? o
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