Faith or Fear, Which Will You Choose?

Isaiah 50:10–11 ESV

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.

The Girl Who Tied Herself to Thirteen Lives

Valley County, Nebraska. January 1888.

The morning felt like spring.

Children walked to school without coats.

Farmers worked in light shirts.

No one sensed danger.

Then the sky turned black.

In minutes, the temperature collapsed to -40°F.

Wind screamed across the prairie.

Snow erased the horizon.

Breathing hurt.

It was the Schoolhouse Blizzard.

Inside a small sod classroom, Minnie Freeman was teaching thirteen children.

She was nineteen.

The storm hit like a train.

Windows shattered.

The roof tore away.

Ice poured inside.

The classroom became an open freezer.

If they stayed, they would freeze.

If they ran, they would vanish in the whiteout.

Across Nebraska, teachers panicked.

Some sent children home.

Many were found later, frozen steps from safety.

Some stayed.

They died together.

Minnie chose differently.

She grabbed a ball of twine.

“We are going to march,” she told them.

One by one, she tied the children together.

Small waists.

Shaking hands.

One fragile line.

She tied the end around herself.

Then she lifted the smallest child.

And walked into the storm.

They could not see.

They could barely stand.

Wind knocked them sideways.

Cold burned their lungs.

But Minnie pulled the rope.

Step by step.

“Don’t let go.”

Less than a mile away was a farmhouse.

In that storm, it felt like crossing an ocean.

At last, her hand touched wood.

A door opened.

Thirteen children stumbled into warmth.

Crying.

Frozen.

Alive.

She left with thirteen.

She returned with thirteen.

That day, the blizzard killed more than 235 people.

Many were schoolchildren.

Minnie lost none.

She became famous.

Songs were written.

Strangers sent letters.

But her real legacy was quieter.

Families that existed because she stayed calm.

Lives that continued because she grabbed a string.

Leadership is not about age.

It is about this moment:

When the roof disappears.

And you tie yourself to others.

And refuse to let go.

Observations?

The Storm - sudden, blinding white out, sudden freezing temperatures

Minnie’s Response - careful, sensitive to the danger and urgency, responsive with decisive problem solving

The Result - getting the children to safety, while some people never were able to make navigate out of the storm before freezing to death.

Observations - she remained calm, she recognized danger, she could not see, but she remembered the way, she was undaunted, her faithful response meant the salvation of the children, and she was humble, not desiring to bring attention to herself.

Do you recognize the storms?

How do you respond under pressure?

Are you calm when you can’t see the way out?

Is your faith leading you through?

Will the end of your journeys reveal a life of faith and leading others to salvation in Christ or fear and safety?

Let’s take a look at Isaiah 50:10-11 to see what God’s word has to say about

Isaiah 50:10–11 (ESV) — 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.

Isaiah 50:10–11 (ESV) — 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.

Verse 10

Who among you fears and obey God’s servant?

What does it mean to “walk in darkness” and have “no light”?

Why does it say let him “trusts in the name of the LORD” and “rely on his God”?

Isaiah 50:10–11 (ESV) — 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.

Verse 11

“Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches!” - what might this mean?

“Walk by the light of your fire… that you have kindled” - what is this suggesting?

“...you shall lie down in torment.” Why does it speak of such suffering?

What is the difference between the person pictured in Verse 10 and those pictured in Verse 11?

Let’s look at other verses that describe the life of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) — 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Psalm 37:1–9 (ESV) — 1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

How are the righteous described verses the evildoers?

He was barely 5 feet 6 inches tall. He weighed about 132 pounds. Most people who saw him never imagined what he was capable of.

His name was Daniel Daly.

In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, Daly was a young Marine guarding an isolated American position in Peking. When his unit was forced to fall back, he stayed.

Alone.

All night.

Enemy fighters attacked again and again. Daly held his ground with rifle and determination. He refused to surrender. He refused to retreat. When reinforcements arrived, he was still standing.

For that night, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Fifteen years later, in Haiti, he faced death again.

In 1915, his patrol walked straight into an ambush by more than 400 rebels. Most men would have pulled back. Daly pushed forward. He led his Marines through nonstop fire and fought his way out.

He earned a second Medal of Honor.

Only one other Marine in history would ever do that.

Then came World War I.

In 1918, at Belleau Wood, Daly was already in his forties. Younger Marines were exhausted. Pinned down. Afraid to move.

Daly stood up.

He shouted words that became legend and charged forward.

Later, wounded and bleeding, he attacked an enemy machine gun position with only a pistol and grenades. He kept fighting when his body begged him to stop.

For that, he earned the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross.

Four of the highest awards in American military history.

Officers offered him commissions.

He refused every time.

He said he would rather be an outstanding sergeant than an average officer.

After three wars and unimaginable courage, Daly went home.

No parades.

No fame.

No fortune.

He lived quietly in New York.

He died in 1937 at 64 years old.

Most Americans today have never heard his name.

They do not know about the lonely night in China.

They do not know about the ambush in Haiti.

They do not know about Belleau Wood.

They do not know about the man who never quit.

Daniel Daly fought when others fell back.

He led when others hesitated.

He stood when others broke.

Then he disappeared into history.

One of the greatest Marines who ever lived.

Almost forgotten.