Reckless Abandon

ThanksLiving: 365 Days of Gratitude

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” It is courage in the face of fear that allows us to exhibit the same reckless abandon of our Bible heroes. Of course, God has given us a rational brain that we ought to use—a lot; he provides us with godly people to offer wise counsel; he has gifted us with discernment to skillfully navigate daily living. Yet there are times where God allows circumstances that are not calling for more prayer or counsel or analysis—more of those would frankly be spiritual stalling tactics. No, there comes a time when big, hairy, audacious steps of faith are the order of the moment. And it is those times when reckless abandon and ruthless trust are the ingredients necessary for spiritual victory.

Going Deep // Focus: 2 Samuel 10:9-12

Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

Joab was one of the bad boys of the Bible. There were a few others like him. In the New Testament, Peter was cut of the same cloth. They often spoke before they thought, acted before they considered the consequence, and had to have people bail them out of the messes they created from time to time.

But at the same time, like a broken clock that is right twice a day, these guys displayed reckless abandon in their faith in Almighty God. Peter was the only disciple, and human being as far as I know, to get out of the boat and walk on water, at least for a few steps, to meet Jesus. A contemporary of Joab, King Saul’s son Jonathan, not a bad boy of the Bible but certainly a man of reckless faith, said to his armor bearer, “hey, let’s go up to the garrison and take on these dirty Philistines. Who knows, maybe God might even help us.” And then there’s General Joab, a relative of King Dyavid and a guy that even David had to distance himself from on a few occasions, who said to his brother, Abishai, “man up and let’s take on these Arameans and their Ammonite sidekicks. Let’s fight for God and Israel and leave the outcome up to the Good Lord.”

You’ve got to love that kind of reckless abandon! Of course, God has given us a rational brain that we ought to use a lot, and he provides us with the counsel of wise people to help us figure out the best way to do life well, and he has gifted us with discernment that we ought to skillfully apply in analyzing circumstances to see when things are to our advantage. Yet there will be times in the journey of faith where the Lord allows us to be in circumstances that are not calling for more prayer or counsel or analysis—more of those were be nothing more than spiritual stalling tactics. No, there comes a time when big, hairy, audacious steps of faith are the order of the moment. And it is those times when reckless abandon and ruthless trust are the ingredients necessary for spiritual victory.

It is in those moments where testimonies for the ages are born. Again, those moments don’t occur every day; they are more likely to come just every so often in a lifetime. But when they come, we must be ready to seize the day and step out. And nothing prepares you for those unique moments like living the rest of the time with the strong theological commitment that “the Lord will do what is good in his sight,” always.

The famous World War I pilot, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” It is precisely that kind of courage in the face of fear that allows us to exhibit the kind of reckless abandon that Jonathan, Peter and Joab became famous for.

Maybe you will have that opportunity today. Maybe I will. Or maybe we both will. Who knows, but let’s be ready. And in the meantime, today is the dress rehearsal for the moment that may come when God allows us to be in one of those defining moments. So what do we do in rehearsing for that moment? We stand on our theological commitment that “the Lord will do what is good in his sight,” always.

I think what G.K Chesterton said about courage applies to this business of reckless abandon: “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die.” God help us to live that way today, ready to die for the Lord’s cause, if that is good in his sight!

Going Deeper With God: I invite you to join me in this prayer today: Lord, help me to cast off my natural reserve for a little Joab-like raw readiness today. Enable me to see those opportunities where faith is calling me to step out into the rare air of ruthless trust. Pour some Holy Spirit boldness into this ready heart that I might abandon myself recklessly for you.

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