Field of Dreams

July 3, 2022

Randy Hageman

Kevin Costner’s character Ray shows us some of the struggles and rewards of living by

.

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.… Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.” —Genesis 6:9-16 (NLT)

We think of Noah as a man of great faith, but he was still a human being like

.

The end purpose and the journey that lies ahead if you obey God’s call isn’t at all

, and often is far beyond what you could ever imagine.

Faith takes the

, even when you don’t know where it’s going to lead you, even when you’re unsure if you have what it takes to even take that step, but you take it, trusting

Reveal Answer

will show you the next step after that.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. —Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Can you imagine Noah telling his family, collecting the materials, and the way the neighbors

as he begins to build this huge structure in the middle of dry land?

Ray has faith that he must turn some of his land into a baseball field, not only plowing under perfectly good corn, but taking future

out of his family’s pocket.

Faith can be so powerful, because true faith realizes it may not see all the

God will, but faith trusts God and

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anyway, even when it hurts!

for we walk by faith, not by sight. —2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

Over and over again, Ray Kinsella has to

if he’s going to live by faith or sight.

Faith is not a

decision but a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute

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we have to make, even when we don’t feel it.

Faith is no guarantee that things will be easy or go the way we expect, yet God does more than we can imagine or ask when we’re

, acting in faith.

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. —Genesis 6:17-22 (NLT)

Faith couldn’t tell Noah how it would go, but faith could take him

this years’ long journey.

Faith only matters when there’s room for

, when we may not see

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God can do what He says He will do, but He does!

God’s not looking for people who’ve got their whole act together, because then it’s easy for them to wrongly take the credit. God wants to work through those of us who are

, who come up short, who don’t feel we have what it takes, so God gets the glory and

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!

“God doesn’t call the equipped – He equips the called!”

Next Week – At The Movies, Part 2