In Exodus 14 God has spoken to Mosses in the first three verses of the chapter and told him to lead the children of Israel to a camp site by the sea. The location they are going to will place God’s people in a very vulneralbe position. In verse four God said, “And I will harden Pharaoh's heart” so Pharaoh comes after you. What a God we serve. He is in control. He is creating the situations in our life. When Pharaoh fullfills the Lords’ plans, (interesting, God has an easier time getting the LOST Pharaoh to move than His own people) God’s people look up and see the situation they are in and panic. An army is coming right at them and the Red Sea is right behind them. What will God’s people do? They are right where God put them. The situation looks bad, there doesn’t appear to be a way of escape, but it’s God who has created the situation. God said in verse 4 that, “I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” God working so that everyone knows there is God in Heaven that rules the affairs of mankind. What does God tell His people to do in this situation that He has placed them in? Verse 15 tells us that God says, “Go Forward”. We know that when they went forward God was going to part the Red Sea and later allow that same sea to destroy the enemy. The key to victory for God’s people was Going Forward! Thankfully after a little belly aching and questioning they did Go Forward and in Going Forward they saw the Salvation of the Lord.
Friends, as we a face a new year we are going to find ourselves in situations that seem horrible. If this year is like every other year there will times when we may panic over the circumstances we find ourselves in. We need to remember that our sovereign God is control of it all. It was God who sent the Egyptians out after His children. It was God who told Moses to lead the people to that vulerable position. Three times in this chapter God says He wants to get Himself honor through the situation. God is going to do the sames things for us that He did to the children of Israel. He is interested in everyone knowing that He is God. Will you go forward by faith and let everyone know about your God? Many wasted all of last year worrying about Y2K and the doom that was forcasted. Some are already worrying about Y10K and the fact that the computers only have four digits.... what will we do in 8000 years when the have to have five digits in the date...? God help us!
It seems our two favorite gears are neutral and reverse. We won’t build a building because we don’t have the resources. We won’t take on any new missionaries because we can’t see a way to do it. We’ll leave one church and go to another not because God has told us to go forward but because we refuse to Go Forward where we are. God get’s honor in the lives of those who are willing to Go Forward. Believers see the provision of God when they Go Forward and Tithe! Churches grow and have new life when they Go Forward and witness!
The problem with the children of Israel is the same one we have. We see our ability and not God’s. We talk about Romans 8:28 but we refuse to Go Forward by Romans 8:28. What will this year be like? Another year of excuses and reasons why you couldn’t and didn’t do anything for God. Or will YOU Go Forward and see the Salvation and Provision of the Lord.
Steven E. Mays,
Pastor - Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, South Carolina
BroMays@FaithBaptistTrumpet.org