God's Redemption Story (Exodus - Joshua)Campione

In 1931, rebel soldiers raided a small Chinese village. They waved a gun in the face of missionary J.W. Vinson and asked him if he was afraid. Vinson confidently replied, “No. If you shoot, I go straight to heaven.” Vinson’s faith in God and trust in God’s promises exceeded his fear of any momentary pain, even death.

Unlike Vinson, when the Israelites faced hardship, they often turned away from God and let fear take over their thinking. When faced with giants in the promised land, they doubted God’s plan and refused to claim victory. When food was scarce, they longed to return to slavery instead of trusting the Lord.

The stark contrast of these two responses—Vinson versus Israel—leads us to a question we must ask ourselves. When faced with difficulty, do we trust our sense of safety, or do we trust the Lord’s promises?