Reckless Abandon Characterizes Rock-Solid Faith in God

On October 14, 2012, Australian skydiver and extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner rode a helium balloon-lifted capsule nearly 24 miles into the stratosphere and then stepped out the door and plummeted toward earth. He spent nearly four minutes in a free fall, reaching 843 mph at top speed. Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without engine power.

He then pulled his parachute and, approximately ten minutes after jumping, landed safely in the New Mexico desert. Sound crazy? That’s a lot of faith to put in a parachute!

I imagine God’s command for Noah to build an ark sounded crazy, also. Not a drop of rain had fallen, but God warned Noah to prepare for a massive flood.

I imagine God’s command for Abraham to leave his home, his family, and everything familiar sounded crazy, but Abraham (Abram) stepped out of his comfort zone and followed God into the unknown.

I imagine God’s order to Moses to stand before Pharoah, demand the release of God’s people, and lead the journey to the promised land sounded crazy. Crossing over the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in fast pursuit sounded crazy, also, but God parted the waters and they walked over on dry ground. Each of these actions required extreme, rock-solid faith in God. 

We exercise some semblance of faith every day. When we mail a letter, we place faith in the postal system. When we make an online purchase, we enter our credit card information and trust our private info is secure. When we drive across a bridge, we have faith that the well-engineered structure is secure. 

Yet, do we have a hard time fully trusting God? The Bible calls us to “trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Paul wrote believers “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

Then why do we worry, fret, and wring our hands over the stuff of life? Living a life of faith is easier said than done, isn’t it? 

To walk by faith means placing our full weight on God and letting Him handle our cares and concerns, being anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6). Faith means confidently climbing into God’s wheelbarrow and letting him guide us safely over life’s turbulent waters. 

God deserves our confidence. He is God and we’re not. He asks us to recklessly throw ourselves into His arms and fully rely on Him. We please God when we trust Him completely, radically, and unashamedly.  

Stephen Olford got to a point in his life in which he finally did just that. Olford grew up in Angola where his parents were missionaries. He was a believer but decided early in life he would not follow in his parents’ footsteps. This brilliant student decided he wanted to pursue engineering.

He wrote a thesis on carburetion. Olford developed a special carburetion system and raced motorcycles to demonstrate the efficiency of his invention.

One night, he was riding his motorcycle, had a wreck and lay injured in the cold rain for hours. He was finally discovered and taken to the hospital. Doctors treated his injuries but then diagnosed him with pneumonia. They informed him he would probably die within a couple of weeks.

His dreams were shattered, and as he lay in the hospital contemplating life and death, a letter arrived from his overseas father that had been written weeks before the accident and illness. His father had no idea about his son’s injuries or medical diagnosis.

His dad wrote, “Only one life ‘twill soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.” 

In that lonely hospital room, Olford realized he had been running from God. With all the strength he could muster, he knelt beside the hospital bed and prayed a prayer that changed his life.

“Lord, if you will heal my body, I will serve you anytime, anywhere, at any cost. Amen.”

God healed Olford and called him to preach. For the next 60 years, he preached around the world and impacted thousands with his expository preaching and writings. He was still preaching vigorously when at 86 a stroke took his life. 

Olford gave himself completely to God, reaching a point in which he chose to abandon all and totally trust Him! 

“Anytime, anywhere, at any cost!” That’s extreme faith! (David Chancey lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, and serves as transitional pastor of Griffin Church, Griffin, Georgia. View more of his writings, including his books, at www.davidchancey.com).