When Someone Else’s Obedience Scares You

For my brother and friend. Thanks for teaching me to trust our Helper.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:1-2, 7-8

Illuminated only by our headlights in the inky equatorial darkness, the ruddy, muddy road stretched steep up the bumpy mountainside. Summer rains had rendered the track slick and slimy. I bounced around in the back seat of the ancient Land Rover despite my lap belt and vice grip on the overhead handles. In the front, my husband and our dear friend chatted away, completely unconcerned that the epic Rift Valley cascaded down to our right, mere meters from our slippery slope. I willed myself not to look that direction, where valley lights twinkled like fallen stars.

The imaginary panel of critics in my head rebuffed me, You’ve done this many times before! What are you worried about? This is Africa. This is the adventure you call your life.

My self pep-talk was interrupted by the sight of a van wedged at a 45 degree angle just ahead to the left. Men clustered around it trying with all their might to dislodge it from the ditch.

Can we pull you out?

Our friend was born and raised in East Africa. He may look like a white man, but he’s African through and through. And in Africa, you never leave someone in a ditch.

Without hesitation the men enthusiastically accepted his offer and tied ropes between the two vehicles. Grinding gears and spinning tires sent us into a shimmy as a loud snap! indicated the ropes couldn’t take the pressure. I could hardly take the pressure either and decided to pray. Turns out it was good timing.

I need to turn our truck around and use the wench to get them out.

At this point my husband was outside the vehicle, covered in mud, wrestling with the crank on the wench. I was no help at all. Except perhaps the praying.

How are we possibly going to turn around on a track of road that rises in the middle and slopes down either side, is more slippery than the icy mountain roads of my childhood, and more narrow? My thoughts weren’t helping me.

Before I knew it, we were sideways on the road, and I was looking straight out over air and valley. Forward, backward, forward, backward, slip, slide, forward, backward… and finally, thank You Jesus. Now we were looking down the same road we’d come up.

Moments later, my husband hooked them to the cable and with a lurch and a slip the van rose out of the ditch. The no-longer-stranded strangers clamored into their vehicle as the driver came to thank us. 

I am taking my guests up the mountain, but I will be back to help you again if you need it. Don’t be afraid if you get stuck again. Just wait. I’ll be back. Don’t worry.

The night was no longer dark; the man’s smile was like sunshine as he profusely thanked our friend. My heart, shrouded in fear only minutes earlier, was bursting with gratitude for my brother’s obedience to the One who commands us to love others.

I wondered at this living picture of the Lord our helper, He who watches over our coming and going, He who never leaves us in a ditch. He who bids us not be afraid even as we wait in the darkness, trusting He will come any minute to save us.

Others’ obedience can scare us sometimes. Their faith, bigger than ours, can pitch us into our own #faith crisis. Share on X

All we can see is the precipice ahead of us if they fail. Will we open the door and jump out or will we stick with them and pray, trusting the Helper of us all?

God grows us through others’ obedience. Trust Him today, even as the lights twinkle in the valley like fallen stars.

Lord, grow my faith through the bold obedience of others. Amen.

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Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash