I Don't Trust the Ice

Is there a difference between a coward and a cautious chicken? I hope so, because when it comes to ice covered lakes, I fall into the latter category. I have driven onto the lakes during the winter, but only after extended period of VERY cold weather and numerous reports of VERY thick ice. Even when the ice is over a foot thick, there is something unnerving about sitting in a fish house and hearing the cracks and rumbles as other vehicles drive over a bridge of ice that is only kept in tact by the freezing temperatures.
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One of my best friends was typically amongst the first to venture out in the fall and the last to come off in the spring. He worked long hours on road construction during the summer and had his winters free to fish. It was almost as if he reasoned that if the ground was froze too hard to build a road, then the lake must have thick enough ice.
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He would invite me to join him on the lakes at times that I just did not trust the ice. We would typically go back and forth about how safe it was. He would try to convince me not to worry and I would give the reason why I was not ready to drive out on the lake. He would reassure me of the thickness of the ice where he had his fish house, and I would ask if he had checked the thickness in every spot between there and the shore. Of course I did not expect him to do this just so I could feel confident in driving out to him, but my question was a reflection of my lack of faith in the ice’s ability to hold my pickup, and even myself.
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Now I could sit on shore and watch others driving back and forth on the ice between the shore and various fish houses. If you had asked me if I believed that one of those vehicles would fall through the ice as I watched, I would have had to say no. I did believe the ice would hold them, but I did not have enough trust to put my confidence in it.
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You see, there is a difference in the kinds of belief we have. There is a belief that acknowledges facts, and there is another kind of belief that ventures into the area of trust. So what does ice fishing have to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ? A true saving faith in Christ is not just an agreement about facts concerning the Lord, it is a trust, confidence, and life changing faith in Him.
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I could look at those other trucks on the lake and believe that the ice could hold them up, but if I did not put my trust in that ice enough to drive out there, I did not have a real life changing confidence in it. Many people approach a belief in God in a similar manner. They believe that He exists. They can see the evidence of it just as we can see people driving on the lake, yet they are not willing to change their lives and serve Him. I believe that is what James meant in 2:19, when he writes, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
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The devils- the enemies of God- believe that God exists. They even know all about Jesus, and that He died for the sins of mankind and deserves our worship. Does that mean that devils will get to heaven? No not at all. In fact, the lake of fire was made specifically for them. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41.
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Those who do not have a saving belief- the sort of belief that puts a total confidence in Christ- will face the same wrath as those devils. That is why the love and forgiveness of God expressed in John 3:16 is so precious. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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As we compare the words of James and John, we are reminded that the belief we are to have is not to be just a belief of existence. Our belief must be a belief of commitment and trust. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:38-39, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
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As I think about the ice, I realize that putting my trust in it could be a life or death decision. The fear of falling through and dying in freezing water is a strong motivator. My friend finally found out how big a risk he was taking when his pickup fell through on a path others had crossed just a short time before. Fortunately he was not hurt, and only lost his pride and the time it took to get a Ford Courier off the bottom of the lake. As we consider the path of life, let us not forget, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14. The decision concerning trusting Christ, is not just a life threatening decision, it is an eternal life threatening decision.
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Christ is worthy of our trust, thin ice is not. Psalms 71:1, “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.”