Risk Management and Faith
He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. … In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 ESV
Life is full of risk and there are always risks to be considered in every decision or endeavor. To simply ignore potential threats and hope for the best is foolishness. In the above passage, it there is a sustained 50 mph wind blowing, a farmer who sows by hand scattering seed to the wind would be very foolish to assume that his sowing would yield a good harvest. Better to wait, let the wind die down, and then act. But if the farmer waits for the ‘perfect weather’ he probably will never act. Don’t ignore risk, but don’t let possible difficulty paralyze you to inaction. As the author states several chapters before, “There is a time for everything…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
In Ecclesiastes 9:4 (NIV) the author states, “Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” Yes, death is the destiny of all of us (see Ecclesiastes 7:2). The dead lion could have assessed the risk of attacking the water buffalo and decided the risk was worth the reward. Or he could have ignored the potential threat of the buffalo’s horns and paid the ultimate price. In both cases the lion died and lost chance for future conquests. Yes, there is a time to die, but don’t go there while foolishly ignoring potential risk.
Having assessed the potential risk in a decision, there comes a time to act. Faith calls us to focus our attention on Christ, trusting in Him for the outcomes. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31 NIV) We consider, we assess, we decide and then we act. But those actions are steps of faith, not flesh, for “…we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) ESV
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 