Only Believe...

And 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. (Hebrews 11:6)

On Christmas Day 2021, The James Webb space telescope was launched into space by NASA. It is 100 times more powerful than the Hubble space telescope which has been sending us images from outer space since 1990. This project which has been thirty years in the making, costing $10 billion, is no mean feat of astronomical engineering. The potential for failure is enormous:

• It had to be folded up origami style to fit into the launch vehicle
• It had to survive the immense pressure of lift off without being damaged
• It has been transported almost 1 million miles away from the earth and has to stay on a correct trajectory to reach it’s position for operation
• It had to unfold itself in space. More than 100 release mechanisms had to fire at exactly the right time, in exactly the right order, to unfurl
• The mirrors have to be lined up correctly

Yet, despite the potential for failure, there are those who were brave enough to see the potential for success and believe it could be done.

In 538 BC, while serving the King in Babylon, Nehemiah was getting reports of the dilapidated condition of the home of his ancestors. The wall of Jerusalem had been torn down, the gates had been destroyed by fire, Jerusalem lay in ruins. God placed a desire in his heart to rectify this situation by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and, although on the surface there seemed potential for failure, Nehemiah realised that the ‘gracious hand of God’ was upon him and he travelled with hope in his heart of success, and not failure, to Jerusalem. The walls were rebuilt though not without difficult and throughout all the setbacks, Nehemiah held on to his confidence in the God who sent him. He believed it could be done. He obeyed even in the face of potential failure.

Friend, there are times in life when we face situations that look seemingly impossible, yet God asks us to move forward. Perhaps this is where you find yourself today. Nehemiah obeyed God’s bidding. So can you.


Pauline Anderson