Numbers 13:33 “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” NKJV
Hic sunt dracones or hic sunt remuneror
I was watching a TV programme one night which was talking about the next manned space mission which would encourage NASA to leave its present fascination with the exploration of low earth orbit. It was called Mars Direct.
Dr Robert Zubrin seems to be the remaining and main proponent of an early and low cost mission to Mars. He is above all a passionate proponent of what he considers to be a journey of human necessity. As NASA has recently and most unceremoniously rejected his ideas and has decided instead to revisit the moon by 2020, it is evident that Zubrin holds little respect for what he considers to be NASA’s lack of vision and courage! Indeed, when commenting on what NASA referred to as the “unknown and incalculable dangers” of such a mission to Mars, Zubrin made reference to the practice of early cartographers, that is, map makers, who when being similarly unsure and uncertain of what lay beyond their knowledge and understanding, wrote “Hic Sunt Dracones” on their maps, or “here be dragons”! “NASA,” said Zubrin with some disdain, “NASA are simply populating their maps with dragons!”
God has the distinctly uncomfortable habit of encouraging us to step out into the unknown. God, like some intergalactic faith junkie, is always demanding that we please Him with our walk of faith, for “Without it,” He says, “You just cannot please me.” Now the problem with walking by faith is it never gets any easier. Yes, once we get comfortable in our faith walk, once we believe God and see God is coming through for us, He seems to make the next faith exploit that much more demanding, challenging, gambling and dangerous! Unfortunately with our tiredness comes fear of loss, and in our fear of loss, we write on all our own maps, “hic sunt dracones” and further, for wisdom’s sake of course, we refuse to move from the spot. Yes, in marking our own maps with dragons, we destroy our very own faith missions of the colonisation of all our promised lands. Tell me, have you become a scaredy cat instead of a roaring lion? Meeeow... What a pitiful position to be in. Maybe we should rather die trying than rot quivering. At least there is more honour and self respect in that kind of exploit. Would to God we were rid of all our pussy cats in the church! Yes indeed, would to God our belly was full of fire instead of fur balls. My God! Where are the men that used to run to meet all their Goliaths?
Listen: “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.” (Revelation 20:2-3 NKJV.)
Pray: Lord, deliver us from crippling and compromising fear. Where we have written on the maps of Your calling “hic sunt dracones” please forgive us, and provide us with a great eraser to undo the devilish lie and write instead, hic sunt remuneror - there be rewards! In Jesus name I pray, amen.
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