The God of Avoiding Risks

Risk aversion has become one of the major gods of our time. Nowadays, everyone is familiar with the slogan of “Safety first!” and, therefore, we do everything we possibly can to maintain our personal safety and the safety of others as a top priority. Risk aversion, avoiding risks, has even become one of the major factors in our decision-making processes. Throughout the culture, there is big business in selling the numerous products that promise security and safety. Today we have all sorts of safeguards to insure our safety such as alarm systems, identity theft protection programs, and various insurance services for just about anything. I remember the first cell phone that I ever purchased. My husband initiated the purchase as an instrument for my protection. Nowadays, children as young as seven and eight years old are given cell phones as a means of protection.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am by no means suggesting that we not take precautions in our lives, but I am suggesting that we not lose sight of who is in control of our lives. The overriding internal message, which lurks behind the overt message of our need for safety, is FEAR. In effect, we are breeding a society engulfed and entrapped in fear. Of course, the reality is that what we mean by being safe is only what has the feeling of being safe. While there are ways of minimizing our risk, there is no definitive way of eliminating risk. There are only tools and choices that lead us to think and believe we are safe.

However, as underlying fears, both conscious and unconscious, become our focus, those fears grow and multiply hindering greatly the work of the Spirit’s call. Risk aversion becomes a priority measure and moves into a stranglehold position in our lives. Our kingdom imagination to reach for the extraordinary becomes limited and bound to the ordinary. Risk aversion stifles our efforts to seed the gospel and halts our courage to take risks for His kingdom glory.

A major aspect to risk aversion is our desire to control our own lives. This also suggests our aversion to God’s control over our lives by not surrendering our fears and control to Him. The idea that we feel safer the more we are in control is about trusting in ourselves rather than trusting in God. For many the concept of entering a situation and not being in charge is difficult and for others it is overwhelming. That being said, obsession for control is a blatant form of self-idolatry. Personal control is illusory. Only God is in control and He will never give up His control or share it with anyone.

Jesus modeled the life of a risk taker in Matthew 10:32-34…They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

Amazingly Jesus led the way into critical danger for Himself and for His disciples in order to complete the mission! The purpose outweighed the cost. No cost was too great to complete the Father’s mission.

 So the question to us as believers today is this: Are we prepared to lay down our fears and insatiable need for personal safety as an offering on the altar of God? Are we willing, for the sake of God’s kingdom, to confront danger, realizing our inability to control the outcomes?

And finally, exactly what are these risks?

Risks for the kingdom are not about making random choices for your life. They are about abiding in intimate communion with the Father and obeying His call and His leading regardless of the cost or the risks. These risks are grounded in trust of an omnipotent loving Father to control, direct, and protect us for His glory. There will always be a cost, but that cost is minimal to His purposeful outcome. Psalm 91 is a beautiful psalm of trust in God. More importantly, it is God… the Father’s promises to His people… and of His divine protection. Here the Lord commands His army of Angels to spare no effort in your protection. God, the Father will jealously guard His people throughout their lives.

Father, may we lay down fear and control this day and every day oh Lord,

Purge it from us; root it out, that we may not be hindered in your purposes.

May we be continually grounded in your trust,

Courageous and bold in our stance,

And obedient to the mission.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen