They rose up and thrust Him out of the city... that they might throw Him down over the cliff. But He passing through the midst of them went His way (Luke 4:29-30)
So why then does God allow things to come into our life that seem impossible to pass through? Is He not God? Does He not care? Why do I never get through? It is in weakness we learn. It is in nothingness we trust. It is in obedience we get through. Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?... I am not eloquent... I am slow of speech and slow of tongue... O my Lord by someone else's hand of whomever else may you send... so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses...and the Lord said to him, Go return to Egypt...So Moses took his wife, and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt.
Do you see the significance of this story in what you are facing dear believer? It comes down to something like that. All of Midian and safety, but failure stand behind us. Egypt lies before us. We are filled with despair, yet His hand is pointing to something. He is after something here. The donkeys stand ready. What will we do? In the same way why did Goliath have to come? Day and night tormenting the people of God. Who was going to go out and face what seemed impossible to ever defeat? It takes standing before something to pass through the midst of something. It takes facing something to go our way. It takes putting all that is precious to us in the pack, and heading out with Him even though Pharaoh waits in the distance.
I come across so many on these forums who have come to such an impasse. There is some repetitive sin beating them down time and time again, or some situation they are facing that they feel they will never get through. Where are the miracles? Do I really know God? Am I really saved? Why do I fail again and again? Why do I never get through? Do you not know His character; His very life is formed in us in such trials? There is something so much more at stake here than just the thing that seems so enormous at hand. When Pharaoh drew near the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold the Egyptians marched after them, so they were terrified and cried out to the Lord...And the Lord said... "Why do you cry to Me? go forward...Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord".
Go forward dear children. Face this thing. The Egyptians are behind you, the Red Sea is before you. What are you going to do? Here is a secret dear one. Your precious Lord is the one who has put you in this very place has He not? He wants you to feel the impossibilities of it. He wants you to feel every bit of your insufficiency. Did the Children of Israel not? Did Moses not when he was terrified to go back to Egypt? Did all of the camp of Israel not feel their utter weakness as this hideous giant Goliath taunted them day and night? Dear believer it is Him who brings us to a place like that. It is Him that has given you this thing to face. It is Him that says to you, Go out. Stand before it. And go forward. Even if, yes even if, there seems no hope in doing so again.
I have been in this situation many times. I have stared down the utter hopelessness of it all. Through a myriad of circumstances and situations I have been made to know many times what if feels like to feel to the uttermost my complete insufficiency for these things. And I have found my best course of action in these times is to go forward. Burn all means of escape. Imagine it's only you, God and a boat tied up on a deserted island. You can try and be obedient to God while keeping an eye on your one means of escape, knowing you can simply escape the situation or launch out into the same failure again if it gets too hot, or you can take a match and burn that boat, in absolute obedience, cutting of every means of escape, casting yourself and all your hope into the care of God.
But just remember when you do. The Red Sea is not going away. The Egyptians are not going away. Goliath is not going away. You keep praying for deliverance don't you? But they don't disappear do they? Neither did Goliath, the Egyptians or the Red Sea. He didn't just snap His fingers and make them go away. He was after something more than that. There is something He is not only after for you on the other side, but also Himself. That the Egyptians would know. That the Philistines would know. That Goliath would know. That all the principalities and Powers who look into these things would know that His Son has come back by His Spirit in a people on this earth, that their days are numbered, that He will have a people for Himself, that He has trampled the enemy at the cross, and He will rule and reign on this earth once again.
Will you go forward with Him? Will you in absolute obedience no matter how you feel take His hand and burns all means of escape? It will not be easy. Everything probably won't go away in a day. But if you do and keep walking with Him no matter the cost He will teach you the miracle of the cliff. And He passing through the midst of them went His way.
So why then does God allow things to come into our life that seem impossible to pass through? Is He not God? Does He not care? Why do I never get through? It is in weakness we learn. It is in nothingness we trust. It is in obedience we get through. Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?... I am not eloquent... I am slow of speech and slow of tongue... O my Lord by someone else's hand of whomever else may you send... so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses...and the Lord said to him, Go return to Egypt...So Moses took his wife, and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt.
Do you see the significance of this story in what you are facing dear believer? It comes down to something like that. All of Midian and safety, but failure stand behind us. Egypt lies before us. We are filled with despair, yet His hand is pointing to something. He is after something here. The donkeys stand ready. What will we do? In the same way why did Goliath have to come? Day and night tormenting the people of God. Who was going to go out and face what seemed impossible to ever defeat? It takes standing before something to pass through the midst of something. It takes facing something to go our way. It takes putting all that is precious to us in the pack, and heading out with Him even though Pharaoh waits in the distance.
I come across so many on these forums who have come to such an impasse. There is some repetitive sin beating them down time and time again, or some situation they are facing that they feel they will never get through. Where are the miracles? Do I really know God? Am I really saved? Why do I fail again and again? Why do I never get through? Do you not know His character; His very life is formed in us in such trials? There is something so much more at stake here than just the thing that seems so enormous at hand. When Pharaoh drew near the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold the Egyptians marched after them, so they were terrified and cried out to the Lord...And the Lord said... "Why do you cry to Me? go forward...Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord".
Go forward dear children. Face this thing. The Egyptians are behind you, the Red Sea is before you. What are you going to do? Here is a secret dear one. Your precious Lord is the one who has put you in this very place has He not? He wants you to feel the impossibilities of it. He wants you to feel every bit of your insufficiency. Did the Children of Israel not? Did Moses not when he was terrified to go back to Egypt? Did all of the camp of Israel not feel their utter weakness as this hideous giant Goliath taunted them day and night? Dear believer it is Him who brings us to a place like that. It is Him that has given you this thing to face. It is Him that says to you, Go out. Stand before it. And go forward. Even if, yes even if, there seems no hope in doing so again.
I have been in this situation many times. I have stared down the utter hopelessness of it all. Through a myriad of circumstances and situations I have been made to know many times what if feels like to feel to the uttermost my complete insufficiency for these things. And I have found my best course of action in these times is to go forward. Burn all means of escape. Imagine it's only you, God and a boat tied up on a deserted island. You can try and be obedient to God while keeping an eye on your one means of escape, knowing you can simply escape the situation or launch out into the same failure again if it gets too hot, or you can take a match and burn that boat, in absolute obedience, cutting of every means of escape, casting yourself and all your hope into the care of God.
But just remember when you do. The Red Sea is not going away. The Egyptians are not going away. Goliath is not going away. You keep praying for deliverance don't you? But they don't disappear do they? Neither did Goliath, the Egyptians or the Red Sea. He didn't just snap His fingers and make them go away. He was after something more than that. There is something He is not only after for you on the other side, but also Himself. That the Egyptians would know. That the Philistines would know. That Goliath would know. That all the principalities and Powers who look into these things would know that His Son has come back by His Spirit in a people on this earth, that their days are numbered, that He will have a people for Himself, that He has trampled the enemy at the cross, and He will rule and reign on this earth once again.
Will you go forward with Him? Will you in absolute obedience no matter how you feel take His hand and burns all means of escape? It will not be easy. Everything probably won't go away in a day. But if you do and keep walking with Him no matter the cost He will teach you the miracle of the cliff. And He passing through the midst of them went His way.
