Empty The Canteen

As it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:17

A man lost in the desert was near death for lack of water when he came upon a pump with a canteen hung on the handle along with a note. The note said, “Below you is all the fresh water you could ever need, and the canteen contains exactly enough water to prime the pump.”

For a lot of us, it would be difficult to believe the note and empty the entire contents of the canteen for the promise of unlimited water. Such an act would require tremendous faith.

The Bethlehem shepherds exhibited this kind of faith when they were told of the birth of Jesus. If they had not trusted God’s guidance to the manger, they might have missed the opportunity to meet and worship the Savior of the world!

Thankfully, when we are asked by God to step out in faith, we are not putting our trust in a note that may or may not be trustworthy. Instead, we are following the directives of the Lord, who “is a shield to all who trust in Him” (2 Samuel 22:31).

The next time God asks you to trust Him, remember the shepherds, for theirs is an amazing example of how we should exercise our faith.

You cannot see faith, but you can see the footprints of the faithful. We must leave behind “faithful footprints” for others to follow.

DENNIS ANDERSON