Not One Lost

One hundred years ago, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton set out on an expedition to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent.  Little did he know that his ship, aptly named the Endurance, would be trapped in the ice and sink, leaving the party of twenty-eight men stranded on the frozen ocean.  The expedition turned into a test of endurance as the goal became survival.  Shackleton led his men safely to an uninhabited island, then, with five men, he made an incredible 800-mile journey in one of the lifeboats from the ship, fortified to withstand the brutal Southern Ocean.  After landing and miraculously crossing the unmapped South Georgia Island, he reached a whaling station and finally found a ship he could take to rescue the rest of his men.  Ernest Shackleton was a leader in every sense of the word -- he faced and overcame tremendous odds for the sake of his followers, and he was committed to make sure every one of them got home alive, whatever the cost.  Though the mission he had planned failed, he was successful in what mattered -- he did not lose one man.

While we will likely never have the responsibility of leading a great expedition-turned-rescue-mission, we will be leaders in some area of our lives.  There are many things that make up a great leader, but the quality demonstrated by Ernest Shackleton of commitment to one's followers may not be one that is often thought of.  It is obvious that a leader needs to earn the commitment of his followers, but while a leader may do his utmost to be worthy of respect and loyalty, he cannot control the hearts of those he leads.  Shackleton's crew was composed of many loyal followers, some nasty troublemakers, and even a stowaway, yet he was faithful and committed to the best interests of every one of them, regardless of their quality.  Those we lead in the Christian life will come in many different attitudes -- some will stick by us no matter what, some will cause headaches, and there may even be some we never wanted as followers.  But the quality of a leader is to see that every one God has placed under our care reaches the goal, whatever it takes, even at personal cost.

The greatest Leader of all time said, "Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost" (John 17:12).  Jesus was faithful to His followers, from John the beloved who stuck with Him all the way to the foot of the cross, to hot-headed Peter who failed Him miserably in the darkest hour.  And He is faithful still to us who follow Him, no matter how many times we wander.  What a comfort that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).  As our Lord is so committed to those He leads, should we not follow His example?  It is indeed a great responsibility, but let it be said of us as leaders that no matter what kind of followers we have -- encouraging, exhausting, or just plain exasperating -- we stopped at nothing to lead them to the finish without losing one.

My brothers, if one of you should wander

from the truth and someone should bring him back,

remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the

error of his way will save him from death

and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19-20

Prayer Beyond Belief

On my shelf sits a cute card which reads, "Pray really big!  Believe even bigger!" I liked it at first, but then I wondered, should I believe bigger than I pray? It would not seem so from the verse that accompanied it, Matthew 21:22 -- "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Prayer and belief go hand in hand, for prayer is, in essence, an expression of our belief in God's goodness. Without belief, however small, prayer is no more than words. But without prayer, belief is only theoretical. James 4:2 says not, "You do not have because you do not believe," but, "You do not have because you do not ask." Belief that goes beyond what we are willing to pray is not true faith, but wishful thinking. God does not grant our wishes, He answers our prayers. If we truly believe He can do a thing, why should we not dare to ask?

My tendency is to pray too small, and believe even smaller. Such prayers are not worthy of God's power, for God's ability will always be bigger than my belief. The greatest thing I could possibly ask is a small matter to Him, and to ask less is actually saying that I don't believe He will give me what I really desire. Either I doubt the ability of the Almighty, or I am not convinced that my request is in His will. Whatever the case, small prayers are evidence of small belief, and they give little room for faith to grow. Better to stake all on the greatness of God and ask beyond belief: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24)!