After having an evening to reflect on Nik Wallenda’s stunning wire walk across the Grand Canyon, here are a few points to consider along with the last post.
First Point – You are only as safe as God wants you to be.
The truth is that whether you are walking on a 2 inch cable 1,500 feet above ground or walking across the street you are equally dependent upon God for safety. I can hear someone saying, “come on, there is a big difference between crossing the Grand Canyon and crossing the street.” No, not really. Each second, heartbeat, and step occurs because of the will of God.
Safety is not primarily a matter of location. Safety is connected to the will of God. This does not diminish our responsibility, but it does affirm our complete dependence upon God.
Second Point – There are no big and little moments in life.
Every moment is a moment where we can choose to honor God or honor ourselves. This makes every moment a big moment. It appears that Nik Wallenda’s walk was a big moment. I know that I was impressed. In contrast, God is impressed with his own creation and the billions of stars that do his bidding.
A young mother who comforts her child with the words of Scripture and the hope of Christ is doing something more powerful than Wallenda’s high wire act. The difference is that the Discovery Channel is not there to record her courageous act of trusting God. And if the Discovery Channel was there, the commentators would undoubtably mock her for her outdated faith. With calm, knowing voices they would wonder if this misguided mother was corrupting her child with her stories of sin, redemption and a Savior.
Don’t feel inadequate if you are not walking across a canyon for God. Rather, be blown away that you can take your next breath for his glory.
Third Point – There is some concern regarding Wallenda’s spiritual guidance.
The person who Wallenda asked to be with him and pray for the walk was Joel Osteen. Mr. Osteen is not known for his orthodoxy or his reliance upon the Bible.
Fourth Point – If Wallenda continues to do high wire acts such as this he will ultimately be putting God to the test.
The 1,400 foot walk over a 1,500 foot deep canyon demonstrated his faith in God. Wallenda has made his point. To continue to make such walks begins to test God. Satan made a similar request to Christ when he suggested that Jesus throw himself down from the highest point of temple. Surely, the angels catching Christ in his free-fall would be a great testimony to God’s power. Jesus would have none of it. He simply said he would not test the Lord his God. Mr. Wallenda would do well to listen to the words of Christ.
Parents this is an opportunity to teach your children that God’s ways are not man’s ways. Yes, what Wallenda did was breathtaking. But it is not nearly as breathtaking as when a child learns to love his sister above himself as he begins his journey over the canyon of life.
5 thoughts on “Faith on a wire – on balance”
Great clarifying post. I echo your sentiments on most of these points. Thanks!
Wallenda’s career is devoted such risky feats as this. I’d say he’s already testing God as he walked across a cable over Niagra falls, between two buildings really really high up, and even hung from a helicopter by his teeth. He does train very hard for what he does. Nonetheless, it’s foolish. He’s had a lot of slip ups and near disasters.
Thanks for this article.
great article, gives a different perspective to our faith walk! thank you!
Jennifer, thanks for your comment. I did read the article that you linked to.
Regarding Joel Osteen: I believe that Nik has enough control over things to say who would be in the family trailer with him preparing for the walk. I read an article on a website called Christian Post, which has extensive comments by Mr. Osteen with regard to Nik.
An article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer also had this comment by Nik:
‘I don’t believe God holds me on that wire in any way. I believe that God gave me a very unique ability to walk the wire and it’s up to me whether I want to train properly or whether I want to prepare for it.”
This is one of the reasons that I think that Nik is getting questionable biblical guidance. We are always dependent upon God, even for our next breath. David never said I took care of the bear, the lion or the wolf in my own strength.
Regarding Nik’s calling: There is difference between a spiritual gift and being blessed with certain talents and abilities. If you have spiritual gift, that is the one thing that you can’t not do. In this same article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer Nik said he would give up tightrope walking if his wife and children asked him.to. This is another difference between a spiritual gift and a talent or ability. In effect Nik is saying I can’t not do this unless…
I admire his courage and strength. But he is always one wind gust, one slip, one misjudgment from falling to earth and leaving his wife and family behind. This is why I believe for him to continue to do wire walk is testing God. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that he would be disobeying God if he did not.
Again, thanks so much for your comment.
I watched the Grand Canyon walk on the web and when they were interviewing Osteen I am pretty sure he said Nik invited him to be there (as opposed to Discovery inviting him like another poster suggested). Either way, Joel Osteen just gives another flavor of the “health and wealth” gospel. It’s easy to get a lot of followers when you appeal to their flesh and tell them God wants them to be rich. I used to think Osteen just had some bad ideas, but the more I have learned about him and his teaching the more I realized he is preaching “another gospel.”