"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you
crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move
on."
--Exodus 14:15
Predicament. We all face them. And we all
have ways of describing them. A cook, for
example, might describe herself as being
"in a pinch," "in a pickle," or "in a jam,"
whereas a basketball player might say he's
"in a tight squeeze." Whether someone's
"up a tree." "in a corner," "hard pressed,"
"between a rock and a hard place," or
"behind the eight ball," we understand the
situation. Whatever the expression, the
meaning is the same---someone is facing
trouble that cannot be easily escaped.
Predicament are uncomfortable, nerve-
racking, and often threaten to drive us into
despair.
Predicament range from the personal to
the global. and also abound in the church
history. Martin Luther, for example, was
ordered to recant his teaching before the
council at Worms. . . or because the
established church's most hated enemy.
The Bible, too, is brimming with
quandaries. Eve's moment of decision
when tempted by the serpent in the garden
. . . Jesus in Gethsemane, Wrestling with
the imminence of the Cross . . .and Moses
and the Isreaelites, caught between the Red
Sea and Pharaoh's pursuing army. What is
the Lord Plan! In (Exodus 14:15). "Then
the Lord said to Moses, "why are you
crying out to me? Tell the Isrealites to
move on." A praise like "Let it go and let
God" sounds good, but it raises questions.
Who does all the work as we grow in
Christ? Do we give in to God, making
certain that we put forth no energy on our
part? Or do we charge full steam ahead
and do our best to do what's right?
If you've wrestle with that question,
you're in good company because Moses
struggle with the same thing. Moses led
the Israelites out of Egypt, but they
screeched to a halt at edge of the Red Sea.
Pharaoh's army was in hot pursuit and the
people we're panicking. So in the
(13 and 14 verse), Moses says, "Do not be
afraid. Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance the Lord will bring you today.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only
to be still," His way was a "Let go and let
God" way of looking at the problem. But
that was no time to yield passively, and
God says so in the next verse! Raise Your
staff and stretch out your hand over the sea
to divide the water so that the Israelites can
go through the sea on the dry ground."
The Lotd is not about to let Moses or you
sit still, If danger is about, if temptation is
knocking, if a friend needs helps, if the Devil
is gearing up for an attack, God does not want
His people to stand still.
"Letting go and letting God" speaks to only half the
battle. The other half involved you moving forward
in His power.
crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move
on."
--Exodus 14:15
Predicament. We all face them. And we all
have ways of describing them. A cook, for
example, might describe herself as being
"in a pinch," "in a pickle," or "in a jam,"
whereas a basketball player might say he's
"in a tight squeeze." Whether someone's
"up a tree." "in a corner," "hard pressed,"
"between a rock and a hard place," or
"behind the eight ball," we understand the
situation. Whatever the expression, the
meaning is the same---someone is facing
trouble that cannot be easily escaped.
Predicament are uncomfortable, nerve-
racking, and often threaten to drive us into
despair.
Predicament range from the personal to
the global. and also abound in the church
history. Martin Luther, for example, was
ordered to recant his teaching before the
council at Worms. . . or because the
established church's most hated enemy.
The Bible, too, is brimming with
quandaries. Eve's moment of decision
when tempted by the serpent in the garden
. . . Jesus in Gethsemane, Wrestling with
the imminence of the Cross . . .and Moses
and the Isreaelites, caught between the Red
Sea and Pharaoh's pursuing army. What is
the Lord Plan! In (Exodus 14:15). "Then
the Lord said to Moses, "why are you
crying out to me? Tell the Isrealites to
move on." A praise like "Let it go and let
God" sounds good, but it raises questions.
Who does all the work as we grow in
Christ? Do we give in to God, making
certain that we put forth no energy on our
part? Or do we charge full steam ahead
and do our best to do what's right?
If you've wrestle with that question,
you're in good company because Moses
struggle with the same thing. Moses led
the Israelites out of Egypt, but they
screeched to a halt at edge of the Red Sea.
Pharaoh's army was in hot pursuit and the
people we're panicking. So in the
(13 and 14 verse), Moses says, "Do not be
afraid. Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance the Lord will bring you today.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only
to be still," His way was a "Let go and let
God" way of looking at the problem. But
that was no time to yield passively, and
God says so in the next verse! Raise Your
staff and stretch out your hand over the sea
to divide the water so that the Israelites can
go through the sea on the dry ground."
The Lotd is not about to let Moses or you
sit still, If danger is about, if temptation is
knocking, if a friend needs helps, if the Devil
is gearing up for an attack, God does not want
His people to stand still.
"Letting go and letting God" speaks to only half the
battle. The other half involved you moving forward
in His power.
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