Today, the word “risk” is used in everyday speech to describe the probability of loss, or maybe the likelihood of accidents of some type. Risk has everything to do with actions, investments, or attitudes which could result in a negative outcome. Risk assessment has everything to do with measuring that negative outcome and deciding alternate courses of action with a lesser probability of loss. And one more, risk management is about making strategies to manage negative outcome, and to control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events. A good example of a risk management team is in Dan6:2, “And over these 120 princes were three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king might not suffer any loss.”
Risk has become a common word, and is used whether the risk in question is quantifiable or not. The word seems to have originated with the Arabic, (pronounced then spelled out) “rizq”; Italian seamen used the word (pronounced then spelled out) “risco”, in reference to the danger of uncharted areas of their maps. The French also used a variation of the word, (pronounced then spelled out )“risqué” in reference to a metaphor meaning, “difficult to avoid at sea”, or “sailing into uncharted waters.”
As we discuss risk reality, i’d like us to see further than what the world understands of risk to what God means of “risk”, how faith relates to risk, and how our skill at navigating risk gets better as we mature and gain experience….well, at least, it should get better. Also in the mix is the contrast of faith and risk, and no, they are not the same.
i don’t know about anyone else, but for me, i really don’t have a lot of sequential words in me, contrary to popular opinion. Sure i can ramble on like a marble rattling around in a box, but still, the words only qualify as rambling. So, one day the Lord told me something, He said if i would be diligent and apply myself, if i would do what i call the “dig and sift” of His Word, meaning dig it up and sift through it for treasure, He would be faithful and give me words and topics that would speak to people about three inches below the surface of where they live, and that’s exactly what He’s done.
How do we act in faith and risk together? What is risk to you and what parts of your life do you feel are your biggest risks? If you know the truth, is there any risk involved? And, what is your idea of a necessary risk, responsible risk, irresponsible risk, and how does your choice of risk affect you and the people around you?
A friend of mine won the West coast 500 Pro Class Motocross many years ago, so he seemed like a good first candidate for a deeper discussion of faith and risk. In our discussions, along with other racing strategies, one phrase which really caught my ear was his use of the term, “controlled crash”. He won by pushing everything to the absolute edge – once he was on the track, everything – every curve, every shift, every jump, every slide – from start to finish, it was all a controlled crash, always on the edge of winning it all or losing it all. It’s when everything is pushed to the edge of the envelope, and when things are pushed slightly beyond that edge is when the controlled crash occurs. He was never damped by the possibility of failure, he said that an over focus on the “failure potential” skews our risk assessment. Even though quite a few years have gone by, he still lives life in sort of a controlled crash, the only difference is that his maturity and experience have highly influenced his risk assessment, therefore he has a greater degree of success in all he does. Here it is again: maturity and experience highly influence our risk assessment….or at least it should.
Now i suppose it would be easy to perceive the phrase, “controlled crash” as an oxymoron – or that it is a self-contradictory phrase, like saying something was a “cruel kindness”, but here’s what is meant by “controlled crash”: when something slips out of our initial plan, it speaks of the action taken to minimize the damage. Like when riding a horse at a full gallop and somehow your feet come out of the stirrups. You knew it was possible that this could happen, but in order to have a little control over the potential catastrophe which could easily follow, you already thought about what to do next. We see bull riders who do it all the time. They know the risk is high that they will get thrown off, but in the moment they are becoming dislodged, they are keeping their cool and thinking, not about the failure to make the ride to the buzzer, but about how to best dismount with as little damage as possible.
Acts 27:15 says, “And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.”
It was a controlled crash meaning they couldn’t get out of the storm, it was all out of control, they picked a course of action that might minimize any potential damage, so they went with the wind, and “let her drive.”
A “controlled crash” takes into account that it’s possible things will not go as planned and dedicates some planning over what to do next. Some would call it “Faith with a contingency plan”, which is something we’ll get to shortly.
Gambling addicts bet the house, but rarely have a back up plan in case they lose it all, whereas a good stock investor may risk a great deal on an investment, but almost always has an exit plan. Becoming part of a limited liability corporation is a risk, but the smart business man always has a larger, more detailed exit plan than the entry plan. Is your life just a crash waiting to happen with no strategy in the event things don’t go as initially planned, or is it a controlled crash where you’ve made a contingency plan built of “if this, then that”?
As with other topics, there is also the other side of risk which must be considered, and that would be “safety”. People who risk little have a high need for safety therein is a fear of failure which prevents many of us from many things. Frequently we tend to “overcorrect” when we’ve navigated life poorly, so i can also assume that “overcorrection is a fear of failure”. As example, possibly a person’s life style was too loose, so they overcorrected by becoming too severe and stringent. Pilot’s often over shoot or miss a runway because the airplanes attitude was incorrect, and rather than make a small correction, for fear of not correcting enough, they over correct, and then overcorrect the overcorrection, etc, etc. For fear of not correcting enough they corrected too much, thus, they must pull up, circle the runway, and try again.
Like the story Jesus told in Matt25 about the three investors. One received five talents, the next two talents, and the last one talent. The first investor risked big by investing all, he risked big and it paid off; the second investor also risked big and it paid off big; but the third was gripped by fear of loss, fear of the master, fear of … well …. just fear….he had a greater need to be safe than to take a chance, therefore he risked nothing. The servant who chose to be safe rather than risk, could, i imagine, have possibly declined to be the investor, it is possible he didn’t absolutely HAVE to take the challenge. But after he accepted the challenge, he blamed the master as to why he did not risk an investment saying, “’Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’”
The servant’s fears were unfounded and what’s worse, he blamed the master for his own faithlessness and fear.
What the servant thought was safety by not risking, did not prove very safe at all. Here is the next insight: The need to be safe tightly governs our ability to risk.
In the process of developing the idea of faith and risk, i woke up one morning and the Lord gave me the bright idea to do some interviews. He said go to business men, individuals, missionaries, street people, asking them what their idea of risk is and what is an area in their lives which they considered to really be on the edge and risky. Out of those who responded, there were a few who felt being a leader was a risk which they didn’t feel willing to take. Their need to be safe exceeded their ability to possibly take up a leadership role in a fellowship of believers, even though they were completely qualified.
Can we conclude then, for some people, their fear of failure, maybe even their fear of success, coupled with a need to be safe, can actually exceed their ability to be obedient? Obedience is a thing of faith, and i believe that sacrifice is a thing of risk.
Luke 19:26, “”He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.” This scripture has many meanings … like most parables it is multi-faceted, but one way to read it is Jesus is speaking about those who risk with God, and those who play it safe. Here is a different view of the same scripture from the Message Bible, “”Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.”
i believe most people who would rather “play it safe” are so worried they might get it wrong, might be seen as foolish or stupid, or judged harshly by others, so much so that they never move up and out into God’s destiny for them. Always playing it safe is such a fear filled lifestyle. Most believers really do have something to say, but very few of them actually get around to saying it. It is safe to just be quiet, and risky to voice what’s on your heart. Many in leadership seem to rarely encourage others to exercise their faith and take a chance. It’s almost as if they just want the congregation to attend, listen, do what they’re told, leave their money, and go home. Sounds more like a business plan than expanding the Kingdom of God, … i don’t know…maybe, maybe not. This is another insight: the need to be safe, not only tightly governs our ability to risk, but maybe even prevents our obedience to God.
Risk, in and of itself, includes fear perception – as in what we might lose, what might not happen, or what may not be fair according to someone… but …. faith is the opposite of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
In light of that, is risk even a part of our spiritual vocabulary? i believe, yes, but not as the world presents it. When we trust in God, take Him at His word, and let faith have it’s way, risk changes and becomes obedient to the rule of faith rather than the rule of possible loss.
Yet faith is about the probabilities of increase and is anchored in hope and the kindness of God, it is intrinsic to trusting God. Martin Luther King said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Faith is not having answers.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Faith is the eternal optimist, risk is the eternal pessimist. Faith is an enthusiast; risk is the critic of enthusiasm. Faith is a grace maker, risk is full of “yea but”. Faith thinks in probabilities, risk thinks in improbabilities. Risk says there is a 20% chance of failure, faith says there’s an 80% chance of success.
Being safe though is not acting in faith nor acting with risk. But isn’t living without faith in Christ a risk in itself? Some would say, “Well what if there is no God?” i say, “What if there is and all things are as Jesus said they are?” What if the Bible isn’t true? Ok, what if it is? Isn’t living without faith in the finished work of Christ the biggest risk of all? To play it safe and not believe or disbelieve is also a huge risk, not choosing IS choosing.
Playing it safe is about incurring no loss, and also incurring no gain; playing it safe seems like a freedom from danger, but really is danger masquerading under a facade of calm; playing it safe means not being rejected, but also means not being accepted. Playing it safe means never stepping beyond the possibilities of loss or gain, never falling in love and never falling out of love, maybe never being completely miserable but also never being completely happy either. Playing it safe seems to me to be, just nowhere with a big nothing in your pockets. Giving up fundamental things in life just to feel safe, to me is actually being a slave to fear, as fear steals a little more and a little more from you, all with the promise that “now you’re safer than you were before.” …. Until one day, there’s nothing left, and you are safe in a prison cell of your own making, with all scary things walled out, and you are walled in, alone in the dark.
Benjamin Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
We are not called to live a life of risk but a life of faith, but yet, there are times we must count the cost of possible losses. Being people of faith does not mean there is no such thing as risk you know. i believe Luke 14:31 addresses the idea of counting the cost of potential loss or gain. It says, “…. what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.”
The scenario of Luke14:31 isn’t acting in fear, it’s having faith and also having a contingency plan, and there is nothing wrong with a contingency plan.
Faith is the correct governor for risk, and when risk comes into subjection to faith, suddenly risk is not so much about measuring the failure potential, but more about a contingency plan as faith outlines it. The just shall live by faith, not by risk. 2Cor5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” The phrase “by sight” there means we don’t live by what we can observe and measure. Faith is the officer and manager of risk. Learning to count the cost is a part of life and we all try to employ ideas and actions which curb the potential of unfortunate circumstances.
When we go on a trip, we check the air in the tires and the engine oil. Some would say that is not faith but fear, i say it is wisdom to make an effort to check the air and oil. It is wise to have a contingency plan, if possible. It isn’t born out of fear but wisdom. And yes, it is possible to go crazy making contingency plans, but easily we are back to a fear thing. Faith is the correct governor for risk, not fear.
Faith says that i’m going forward and going back is not an option, and….my contingency plan is that i also carry with me a can of Fix-A-Flat in-case of a flat tire, some extra engine and transmission oil in-case one of the two run low, or maybe a little extra gasoline in-case i’m nearly out of fuel and there’s not a gas station around. Maybe part of my contingency plan is to take a few tools in-case i need to work on something on the way. Faith says we’re going forward because going back is not an option, so position yourself and make the necessary contingency plans, because either way, we ARE going forward.
Faith is better than risk, thus obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is an operation of faith, but sacrifice requires a loss. Paul incurred personal loss, but his spirt was ever profiting. Obedience should outweigh our sacrifice. Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Abrahams obedience out weighed the possible sacrifice of his son, thus there was no need to incur the loss of his son because he was obedient. Under the governering power of faith, risk comes into it’s right relationship with our lives.
Let’s talk about King David for a moment. In 1Sam17 we see David going forward in the name of the Lord, on behalf of Israel to face down an obnoxious, arrogant, loud mouthed giant. David was a man of faith, so when he’d set his mind to face Goliath, going back was not an option. *But*, just because he was going forward in faith, didn’t mean he didn’t have a contingency plan. i would guess David was a crack shot with his sling and an amazing warrior with just a staff in his hand, however, he had thrown enough stones and had enough experience that he knew better than to go meet a giant with no contingency plan. Verse 40 reads, “Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” As it turned out, one stone did the trick, but he had a contingency plan of four other stones just in case. Actually, Goliath had four brothers, and the Jews hold to this day the five stones were to kill Goliath and his four brothers, if they showed up. So in that case the other stones weren’t a contingency plan but each had a destination in mind. It wasn’t fear, it wasn’t a lack of faith, it was wisdom. Faith says “going back is not an option”, wisdom says “if possible, make a contingency plan to make an assurance of success”.
Recently, a man said to me, “It’s foolish to go to a funeral until the day of the funeral,” to which i feel it’s important to add, “That’s true, but it’s equally foolish to wait until the enemy is attacking to circle the wagons.”
What did other people in my interview process think of faith and risk?
When i asked one fellow about his idea of risk, he replied, “I guess if I had to sum it up, I’d say that the greatest risk that i see is in that which we can’t see, or perceive. People, even believers, go about life in this world and don’t believe, or don’t care, that there are unseen forces in a constant struggle around them. These forces greatly impact the physical properties around us, and yet we can’t “see” them.”
i wonder, does that mean that because we can not see the “unseen forces” around us that we believe we will suffer a loss of some sort?
Many believers are willing to risk in what they can not see, and i consider it an unreasonable risk to NOT believe in the unseen, spiritual realm. i think it an irresponsible risk to NOT let Jesus be the Lord of my life. Believing in the unseen, having faith in what we hope even when we don’t have any answers, believing our words can speak to circumstances many continents away….is it risk or is it faith?
If we speak of risk, as believers we must also speak of faith. As believers, we are called to a life of faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Daniel walked in faith and stepped out in huge risk by refusing to bow down to idols in Dan6, even though there was a decree which would call for the death of anyone who did not. He was sure of what he hoped for and was certain of what he could not see. He would not have normally gone down to spend the night with a bunch of hungry lions, but when the time came, he rose up as a man of faith choosing to believe that God would deliver him. Faith is the eternal optimist, risk is the eternal pessimist.
Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Matthew Henry wrote that, “Noah knew his neighbors would ridicule him for his confidence, and he would be the song of drunkards; his ship-building would be called “Noah’s folly”. But Noah got over all that, and a thousand such objections. His obedience was ready and resolute: Thus Noah built in faith and obedience, willingly and cheerfully, without murmuring and disputing.”
Noah exercised his faith, preferring to be obedient to God, rather than to be paralyzed by the risk of losing the respect of men.
One person whom i know said her idea of risk was, “The risk of loosing your job because you’re too vocal in your workplace, or the risk of coming under ill-will in your church because you have an opinion and state it.”
i’ll bet you something though, that if the Lord told her to speak out in her work place or church, she would be obedient and speak up in faith. True, in her mind she would certainly weigh her options, but i’m fairly certain she would choose obedience to God over the possibility of loss of her job or the approval of her church.
One man said risk to him was “the uncertainty and probability that I’ll be found out as an ignorant nincompoop who doesn’t even have the smarts of fish caught in a net. Then to be tossed aside as unimportant and not worthwhile.” Yet everyday, that man steps out in faith, taking a chance on relationships or being considered as frivolous and unnecessary. Everyday. Why? Because in faith he knows that God validates him and to God he is never irrelevant and unimportant. His faith and obedience out weigh the risk which is set before him.
Another fellow said he felt a huge risk for him was “believing he hears God.” That may seem an irresponsible risk to the world, but for conscientious and arden believers in Christ who go forward in faith, often on nothing more than whispers, dreams, and visions, it is an an irresponsible risk to NOT believe they can hear God.
A pastor in Covina, California told me a story about how living like Jesus was a risk. He wrote, “In the 16th century in Holland a group called the Mennonites were outlawed, and when found they were often executed.”
“One of them named Dirk Wellens was being chased across an ice field when his pursuer broke through the ice and fell in. In response to his cries for help, Wellens returned and saved him from the icy waters. His pursuer was grateful and astonished that this man would do such a thing for him. Nevertheless, thinking it was his duty, he arrested Wellens. A few days later, he was executed by being burned at the stake in Asperen Holland. It was precisely because of his Christlikeness that he was executed.” Dirk Wellens acted in faith and considered being obedient to the call of God to be far more important than the risk of dying. His obedience and faith far outweighed his sacrifice.
And lastly, a short list of irresponsible risks, or hazardous liabilities which costs too much would be: coasting, or “listlessness” and “idle hands” are an irresponsible risk; not reading my Bible is an irresponsible risk; becoming apathetic is an irresponsible risk; not going to God for discernment but taking the word of someone who makes hours of Youtube videos which sound really good… is an irresponsible risk; beliving i don’t need God and can succeed on my own is an irresponsible risk; pretending i am more than i am is an irresponsible risk; to me, being disobedient is an irresponsible risk; kindling a small, cozy flirtation, while fueling an acceptable/manageable/secret lust is a very irresponsible risk. Those are just a few, so what would your idea be of an irresponsible risk?
Where are you on this weighty subject of faith and risk? Is the risk of being ridiculed for speaking up, rejected for being honest, persecuted for standing for the gospel of Christ, is the risk so large to you that you’re willing to be disobedient to the call of God? Are you willing to risk the betrayal of your conscience, is that a betrayal you’re willing to live with? Is the love of God and the apprehending of Jesus important enough to you that when the Lord calls you, you’ll catch that plane, move to another place, or speak up against injustice?
Hebrews 11:6, “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” At that i say to us all, Selah, or “stop there and consider a little.”
Faith is better than risk, and obedience is better than sacrifice. As we focus on Christ, our skill at navigating life’s possibilities gets better as we mature and gain experience. As we grow in faith, we learn to see the faithfulness of God, not over focusing on the “failure potential”, which skews our assessment of what’s in front of us. As we allow Jesus to teach us about life, we become strong and courageous and our need to be safe, which tightly governs our ability to step out in faith. In light of allow Jesus to teach us about life takes on a new diminsion where we are more willing to try, metaphorically, walking on water believing Jesus will give us a hand up, rather than being safe while staying in the boat.
If you’re facing down the giants in your life, by faith in Christ, they will fall before the Lord, but don’t think it weakness to put a few extra stones in your pocket, in other words, there’s nothing wrong with having a contingency plan – it is wisdom.
Faith is the eternal optimist, risk is the eternal pessimist.
