How a Lifetime of Faith Can Lead to a Lifetime of Heroism

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,

and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame

the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27, NKJV).

After writing a four-book fiction series based on people in various countries who are persecuted for their faith, followed by a three-book series based on human trafficking victims, I am now in the midst of writing a novel built around the life of Harriet Tubman. Researching and writing these books have challenged my faith beyond measure, as well as helping me to re-prioritize my life and my goals.

Harriet Tubman was indeed one of the most amazing women who ever lived. Yet she was penniless and uneducated, a slave with a dozen siblings, none of whom ever had enough to eat or even any say in whether they lived or died. Harriet was beaten more times than she could remember and sustained an injury at the hand of one of her masters that left her with a permanent dent in her forehead, as well as headaches and a strange sleeping sickness that lasted her entire life.

But none of that stopped her. This young slave girl acquired a strong personal relationship with God from her earliest years, cultivating it daily and practicing it under the cruelest of conditions. As a result, she became one of the most courageous and admired women who ever lived.

Harriet Tubman, known as the “Moses of her people,” escaped to freedom as a young adult and then went back into slave territory, where there was a sizeable bounty on her head, nineteen times, successfully rescuing some 300 slaves, including many of her own family members. God used this uneducated woman, who remained penniless most of her life, to do incredible feats that affected countless lives—and He wants to do the same with us.

Does that intimidate you as much as it does me? How can we possibly live a life as powerful and meaningful as this amazing woman? Here is the secret: Harriet Tubman was able to lead a lifetime of great heroism because she cultivated a lifetime of great faith.

Don’t let the enemy intimidate you or tell you you’re ill-equipped to lead a noble, courageous life, inspiring others by your great faith. Remember, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”

Let God Part the Waters

The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent (Exodus 14:14, NASB).

Is there any better example anywhere of God fighting for His people than in Exodus, where He used Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt? The story of God’s deliverance involves plagues, death of firstborns, and the parting of a great body of water. God’s people escaped on dry land, while others drowned when the waters of the Red Sea returned to their original place. Quite a dramatic and epic event!

I suppose the one thing that stands out to me most in this story is the statement above, that the Lord will fight for his people when they keep silent. Anyone else find that the toughest thing to do at times? Seriously, once we’ve sought (and received) God’s clear direction on something, why do we find it so difficult to keep silent as we watch His plan unfold? Is it because He most often chooses to do things differently than we think He should? Do we feel compelled to question Him, and even try to correct Him, when we grow uncomfortable with the way things are going?

I can only imagine how the Israelites felt when they realized they were trapped between the fire-breathing Egyptians and a huge body of water. Now what? Where do we go now? Did You really mean to bring us here, Lord? Couldn’t You at least provide a few boats so we can get across to the other side before our former captives annihilate us?

God calls us to prayer and obedience, not whining and second-guessing. I know that, but I confess on many occasions to giving in to the latter rather than sticking with the former. And then I wonder why God doesn’t step in and work things out as I think He should.

Is it possible He’s simply waiting for me to “keep silent” before Him, to trust that He will fulfill His purposes—in His way and in His time, for His glory? If you, like me, struggle with trusting God, particularly in the face of fears and uncertainties, perhaps it’s time we all practiced keeping silent a bit more—and watching to see how God will part the waters in front of us.

The Greatest Mission Ever!

And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old

when they spoke to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:7, NKJV).

We live in a youth-oriented culture, where anyone over the age of 65 is supposed to hang up their work ethic and spend whatever years they have left chasing a little white ball around a golf course. Nothing wrong with playing golf, mind you, but when it becomes our sole purpose for getting out of bed in the morning, we’ve lost our direction.

God did not create us to serve ourselves. We are made in the image of the Creator, and God has called us to partner in that pursuit, to one degree or another; that partnership doesn’t end when our hair turns gray or our step slows a bit due to arthritis.

I love reading about Moses and Aaron, don’t you? They were in their eighties when God sent them to confront the most powerful man on earth. God didn’t send young men in their prime of life so they could flex their muscles and pound their chest and intimidate Pharaoh. He didn’t send rich rulers from other countries who could threaten him with their armies or bribe him with their riches. He sent two brothers who, between them, had lived more than 160 years on this earth. Neither had experienced an easy life, since Aaron was raised as a Hebrew slave, and Moses, after growing up in a palace, had to flee for his life into the desert. And though Moses initially resisted God’s call to go to Pharaoh, he finally accepted, with his older brother at his side.

We can learn a lot through the story of Moses and Aaron and their ultimate success in leading the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. First, as long as we live on this earth, we are never too old to be useful to God. Second, if we continue to partner with God in whatever He has purposed for us, we can experience tremendous victories at any stage of life. And finally, though we may consider ourselves inconsequential in the scheme of things, God can use us to effect powerful changes in the lives of others.

So wherever you are today and whatever is going on in your life, listen for God’s voice. He just may call out to you from the burning bush and send you forth on the greatest mission ever.