29-03-2020
As we face the challenges before us, our God is with us. His desire is that He will see us through this difficult period and we will come out victorious.
Just like the Israelites when they see the problem before them, God led them through the desert by Moses. They come to a dead end, facing the Red Sea and they blamed Moses and were angry with God that they were brought to a dead end to be slaughtered by Pharaoh's army. But God has a plan for them.
God knows what is ahead and God has a solution. The Israelites focused on their problem but God sees beyond what He has already planned for them. All God was looking for was for the Israelites to repent and seek the LORD, and to submit to His Lordship and put their trust in Him and Him alone. When Moses cried out the LORD, God says, "Move on. Tell the Israelites to move on." In other words, we shouldn't be wasting time asking the LORD because the LORD has a solution [so] just obey His direction and His instruction. In the next verse, God says, "Moses, stretch out your hand over the sea and raise up your staff." Moses did just that and the water rolled up to the left and right and opened a way for the Israelites to cross, not on wet, muddy ground but, on dry land.
Can you imagine? When you face the Red Sea and [all it takes is] a simple obedience unto the Lord. If Moses had chosen not to obey Him, the Israelites would not be able to cross the Red Sea.
Let us focus upon God and not the problem before us today--not over the pandemic, not over the economic crisis. Let us focus on God and what His plans are for us.
Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Let us hold onto God's Word and trust God that out of this crisis and challenging time, there awaits us like the Israelites were in Goshen during the time of famine in Egypt that there was [an] abundance of food.
In the case of crossing the Jordan, the Israelites again faced a problem of trusting their leader, Joshua. Moses has passed on and Joshua is now the new leader. Will they accept a new leader? God wants the people to know that He has appointed a new leader for them and they are listen to him and his instructions. Early in the morning in Joshua 3, Joshua instructed the Israelites to break camp and get ready to cross the Jordan River. But God will go first. He's represented by the priests carrying the ark of God. The moment their feet touched the edge of the Jordan, the water stopped flowing from 20 miles upstream. God stopped the water and then it became a dry ground/land. And the whole nation of Israelites crossed over. Many of the older generation that were with Moses when they crossed the Red Sea had passed on because God had said that those who were 20 years and above during Moses' time would not see the Promised Land. So this is the younger generation who may not have the experience of crossing the Red Sea. This is something that is new to them, yet God wants the new generation to put their trust in God. And God is leading them on by asking the priests to go first. As they stand in the Jordan River, God push the water upstream and downstream. And the Israelites crossed over. They crossed over on dry ground. Again, it was not on slimy, wet and muddy ground.
God does not want the Israelites to focus on their problem. What the Israelites see as an obstacle, God sees it as an opportunity. God led the Israelites through and as the priests came out of the water, the Jordan River started to flow again. It was a season of harvest where the Jordan River was overflowing; there was flooding.
In the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, the Babylonians had captured the Israelites. The three young men together with Daniel were selected by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to serve in the palace. They were given special food but they had [refused to eat the royal food and wine.] King Nebuchadnezzar set an idol and [decreed] that everyone should bow and worship. These three young men had solid foundations on the Word of God and they stood firm even in facing death at this point of them. The King had said they only needed to obey, bow down and worship the statue and their lives would be spared. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to stand firm and put their trust and belief in God. They did not focus on the problem before them. They said, "Even if our God does not come to save us, we will still not bow down to the statue." That is a firm foundation of their faith, that even in times of criss, they would not let go of their lifeline. For they know that their future, eternity and destiny is with God. Nebuchadnezzar got so angry that the fiery furnace was heated up seven times stronger to the extent that the soldiers who were manning it were killed by the fire. When the three young men were bound and thrown in lock, stock and barrel in their clothing, Nebuchadnezzar leapt to his feet [in amazement] to see four men inside. Three went in an four were walking. They were found to be unbound and unharmed. God says, "I am with You; I will not forsake you." The three young men put their trust in God and believed in God and their faith did not waver. Nebuchadnezzar called out to them and asked them to come out and there were no burn signs on them at all. That is the God that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trusted in. They went through the crisis and came out victoriously. Nebuchadnezzar then promoted then and declared that the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be the God for the people of Babylon. What a glorious ending for a test/trial of this nature.
This is the assurance and promise that we have in our God thy in our present crisis, we will continue to put our faith and trust in our God. We look not to the left or right but we look unto our LORD God Almighty to deliver us and to lead us through this crisis that we shall all come out victoriously.
Father, in Jesus' name, thank you that we can put our trust in You. Help us, O God, in our weaknesses and in our shortcomings, that as we place our trust in You, You will lead us through this challenging time and we will come out victoriously, just like the Israelites in crossing the Red Sea, just like the Israelites in crossing the Jordan River to the Promised Land, and just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego coming out of the burning, fiery furnace. We thank You that we have a God in You and that You will not forsake us and that You will not leave us. This we give thanks in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you.
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