Lots of things are overwhelming to us. The National Debt and government spending has gotten out of hand. Babies are being aborted by the millions. Crime is exceeding our abilities to incarcerate the criminals. Our world is being polluted with reckless abandon. Marriage has become a quaint institution for people without lives.
Is there anything I can do about these problems? Can I make a difference? Sure, I ride a bicycle to work, recycle as much as I can, preach for life and have a church that is out of debt. I tell people what the Bible says to straighten out their marriages. I am personally out of debt with the exception of my mortgage. But, let's be honest. None of what I am doing is making any sizable difference. Sin continues to prevail.
It seems that whether or not I should make a difference is mute if I can't actually make a difference.
Could God call people to make a difference who really can't make a difference? --Not only "could He" but He has.
He called Moses, a convicted murderer, back to the land of his conviction to release millions of people from their slavery. He called Gideon to whittle down his inadequate army to a ridiculous number so that he could overcome the enemy of his people. He called Noah to build a boat which would house the animals of the world. He called Elijah to oppose the king and his religion to show that God was the only Lord.
The real question is not whether you can make a difference or should you make a difference but do you have the faith to make a difference. Faith comes from a calling of God. Faith supercedes all circumstances. Faith goes beyond all trends. Faith needs no other evidence than a call from God.
The oppression of God's people has called them to cry out to Him. They did so for years before they had the faith to see God deliver. God's answer was to call people to do what had appeared to be impossible. They believed because they heard Him call.
Our position must be either that of Isaiah, "Here I am, Lord. Send me" or that of the people who cry out to God for deliverance. Each of these takes faith. Each of these will make a difference where it seems impossible for a difference to be made.
Several leaders of states are asking for prayer for the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil continues to pollute the waters, kill the wildlife and destroy the livelihoods of the people in the area. It takes faith to take a stand on prayer. This will really make a difference.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
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