Get In The Wheelbarrow

Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) —

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him and he will make straight your path.’

 Charles Blondin was an acrobat and performer who rose to fame in the summer of 1859 for his multiple traversals of a 160ft tightrope suspended over Niagara Falls. Crowds gathered to watch as he would attempt more and more daring crossings, once in a sack and then on a unicycle. Rumour has it, on one occasion, he crossed carrying a travel stove while cooking an omelette. Audiences would hold their breath as he stepped out and erupt into raucous applause when he reached the other side.

 One day he emerged with a wheelbarrow and harked to the crowd below, ‘Do you think I can cross pushing this?’… In unison, the masses replied ‘Yes!!’.

 ‘Do you think I could push a person across in it?’… Again he was met with a resounding ‘Yes!!’

 ‘Who volunteers to get in the wheelbarrow?’… silence.

 I can’t vouch for the truth of this story, but it illustrates powerfully the difference between faith and trust. The crowd had faith that Blondin could push the wheelbarrow across the tightrope; after all, they had seen him do It many times over, but no one trusted enough to get in it while he did.

 Do you have faith God can provide? Heal? Save? Reconcile? Comfort?

If not you can ask him to increase your faith! But a perhaps more important question is are you trusting him too? Is he the one you go to in times of need? Or do you try it in your strength first?

 The writer of the Book of Proverbs wrote: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and he will make straight your path’… if you’ll afford me the liberty of paraphrasing - ‘Get in God's wheelbarrow and he’ll get you to the other side.’

 Prayer - God thank you that you are trustworthy. Would you show me any areas in my life I am not trusting you? Help me get in your wheelbarrow.