Does Risk Equate to Trust?

Risk is relative isn't it?  Not that any of my relatives are risk takers.  In fact the biggest risk taker I know is my son who is in the army as a special forces engineer (that means he uses explosives).

But my son is adopted so he didn't get the risk gene from me.  I shy away from risky behavior and situations.  I love my couch and bed and office chair!  My son seeks to be in the line of fire, he has a desire to maim his body in some way every day.  Usually he is doing this by wrestling with his three young sons who hold nothing back when wrestling with daddy.

But that isn't really what I am talking about when I say risk is relative.  What I mean is that I have an aversion to some things that most people would say are risky but no aversion to other things that others see as risky.  I'm not being very clear am I?  Take a look at my list of risky and non-risky things and ask yourself if I have some items in the wrong list.

Risky

• Parachuting
• Climbing El Capitan
• Eating extremely spicy Indian food
• Confrontation
• Applying for a job that will cause personal and professional growth
• Walking alone into a situation where animosity toward my group of friends is high
• Attacking a well armed mob with one sword
• Telling Jesus that He is wrong

Not Risky

• Sitting on a comfortable couch
• Swimming in the ocean
• Snow Skiing
• Speaking before a large group of people
• A job interview for which I am over qualified
• Wearing bluejeans to morning worship
• Praying in front of others
• Driving across country with a bunch of screaming, car sick teenagers

Risk is relative because of our individual experiences, training and personalities.  What I find to be risky you may not.  And what I find to be safe you might avoid at all costs.  I had a friend in Tucson who was very chatty and outgoing.  I thought she would be perfect for a skit in front of the youth group.  She tried to tell me that she could not do it.  She was afraid of being in that kind of position.  I pressed and she relented.  I never asked her to do that again.  Her fear was so paralyzing she couldn't even read her lines!  Something I found so easy was a tremendous risk for her.

Sometimes I wish I were more risky.  I wish I were more like Peter.  He stepped out of the boat!  He knew the risk and asked for the permission to walk on water.  In fact Peter did a number of risky things.  When Jesus explained to the disciples in Matt. 16 that He would be killed by the chief priests, Peter told Him "Never, Lord!  This shall never happen to you!"  Peter had no problem with confrontation!  It was an incredibly stupid thing to say but it does show that Peter did the risky things.  Later, Peter attacked the mob that came to arrest Jesus in the garden.  I would have been the poor guy running away naked!  And even after the garden fiasco Peter followed and went into the High Priest's courtyard, the very den of the enemy!  Peter took risks!

Now every one of those risks (even the walking on water event) ended badly for Peter.  But still he took the risk.  And if you look at Peter in the Acts of the Apostles you see Peter taking other risks that glorify God and lead the church to growth!  He met with Cornelius taking a social risk.  He healed the crippled man under the watchful eye of the authorities and preached boldly the gospel risking religious persecution.  Peter spoke above his training before the Sanhedrin and told them they could not stop preaching the Name of Jesus, thus risking death.  Peter welcomed the murderer Paul into the church!

Yep, I wish I were more like Peter.

But does risk automatically equal a situation where trust in God is needed?  I would think not.  Some people, like my son, just love risk.  Could it be that God calls us to trust Him even in the safe places for a time.  Were the disciples who stayed in the boat wrong for staying there?  We have no indication that the safety of the boat was wrong.  In fact when Jesus entered the boat they all worshiped Him.  That in itself was a risk of another sort!  Worshiping a man!

I am reminded of the joke about the Christian who was shipwrecked and floating in the ocean praying for God to save him.  Just then, a fishing trawler comes by. ''Climb on board'' yells the skipper. ''No, no, no,'' says the drowning man. ''The Lord will save me.'' ''OK,we will be on our way, then,'' replies the captain. 
Two minutes later a rescue helicopter landed along-side the poor chap, and the pilot threw a rope into the fierce waves. ''I do not need any help,'' cries the breathless man, ''The Lord will come and rescue me.'' 
Moments later the guy drowns, and finds himself in heaven. On meeting God, the man weeps: ''Lord, I was waiting for you to rescue me from my watery tomb. Why did you not save me?''  God replies:  "My child, I sent you a boat and a helicopter!''

Today I received a call from a secular company that is looking at my resume and may offer me a job.  It is a temporary full-time job.  It doesn't pay much compared to my present income and I am over qualified for it.  There is certainly no risk (other than financial) involved and I could easily do the job.  It would also allow me to continue to minister to Desert Hills during the duration of the job.  So here is the dilemma.  Has God sent me a boat for a time before asking me to walk on water again?  Am I showing a lack of trust or a trust of a different type in taking the job?

I think, based on the account of walking on the water there is a time for risk and there is a time for safety and in every time there is a need to trust God.

What do you think?