As most all of us remember, Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt and became trapped in between the Red Sea and Pharaoh. My memory at one time was that Moses had left Egypt and as he was attempting to guide the people he somehow happened to find himself due to timing and geography in a bad position. But was that truly the case? Let's read the following verses together. Exodus 14:1-4,
Then the Lord spoke to Moses: "Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea: you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. I will harden Pharaoh's heart so he will pursue them (moses and the Israelites)."
WHAT? God told Moses to take all of His (God's) people and put them in a compromised position????
Trapped. And by the God they were trusting in. But why would God do that?
You see, in life, God will intentionally put you in a position that is VERY uncomfortable and has no known remedy. I am convinced that when God parted the Red Sea and did what only He could do that He ALONE received the glory. And when Pharaoh and all of His men were in pursuit of the Israelites and were destroyed by the Red Sea closing back up, again God is the only one who could have possibly received the praise.
By now we must come to the point where we recognize that ALL of life is a display for all to see. From Genesis to Revelation and Adam and Eve to Jesus second return. We must realize that all breath and all history is about God and who He is. It is His story. It is a few thousand years of human existence to see who will love and receive their Creator and who will not. Who will take Him at His word and believe He is who He says He is and who will not. That, my friend, is the big picture.
Today God may have intentionally put you in a place where you are crying out in agony and distress over the outcome. First, I would say the outcome is NOT your responsibility. It's God's. Secondly, the place of peace for you is to follow the words that Moses spoke to the Israelites right before God parted the sea. Moses said,
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the salvation of your God. He will provide for you today......the Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet...." Exodus 14:13
It is not that God is cruel, it is that He is desperately in love with humanity and is communicating the way He wants to about who He is. About what He wants to be and how much power He has ready to be shown on the behalf of those who will trust Him. You and I have been invited to enter a love relationship with the God of all things. But just like in physical human relationships we only learn about one another by walking through things together. I believe that the God of Heaven is going to fight for you today, as Moses said, we must be quiet and trust.
Father, I am desperately in love with you. With Your ways and Your sovereignty. You alone know why you allow us to go through certain moments. However, I for one, choose today not to be afraid. To stand patiently and eagerly by faith in order to see what incredible things You have in store for me. I Iove you.
Joel
3 comments:
Yes, God is cruel. When I am over $600 overdrawn in my checking accrue & have no way out.....WHERE IS GOD?!!!! Family can't or refuses to help....busy helping others....told I have to suffer thru it! Don't have a church anymore since pastor refused my prayer request & told me to go to someone else, get an "outside opinion!" ...outside GOD???!!! REALLY! I QUIT! I GIVE UP! I CAN'T RELY ON A PASTOR FOR PRAYER OR FAMILY FOR HELP! WHY TRUST GOD?!
Yes, God is cruel. When I am over $600 overdrawn in my checking accrue & have no way out.....WHERE IS GOD?!!!! Family can't or refuses to help....busy helping others....told I have to suffer thru it! Don't have a church anymore since pastor refused my prayer request & told me to go to someone else, get an "outside opinion!" ...outside GOD???!!! REALLY! I QUIT! I GIVE UP! I CAN'T RELY ON A PASTOR FOR PRAYER OR FAMILY FOR HELP! WHY TRUST GOD?!
You can not judge God based on the failures of his people. God has one desire. To be connected with you, and because of our pride and arrogance He disciplines us like a good father. He puts us in a place where we need Him because ultimately that was the way we were designed, to be connected to Him. If you are disconnected from Him, there IS NO LIFE. All of history is about HIS STORY of love. What we need is not money so much as we need His loving grace and life that comes from His Spirit. If you have a bad meal at a restaurant, which I assume you have, did you turn your back on food? No, of course not. You just realize that place got it wrong. But you still need food. Don't give up. Don't view a perfectly good God through the lenses of broken people.....love you Marta.
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