Mensa Otabil - Don't Cry, Move Forward
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We’re just about to enter a brand new year, the Year 2023, and so we prepare our hearts with the Word of God as we go to the Book of Exodus, chapter 14, verses 15 and 16. And the Lord said to Moses, «Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward, but lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.»
Pharaoh is pursuing Israel; the Red Sea is right in front of them, and so they’re caught between two challenges: the challenge of what is ahead of them and the challenge of what is behind them. What is behind them is pursuing them to destroy them; what is ahead of them is blocked. They have never gone that way before. What do you do? The children of Israel did what most of us would do: they started crying, complaining, and all of that which they had been doing for quite a bit.
The lessons we can learn from this are valuable because God says to Moses, «Tell the people to stop crying.» Although you are caught in a hard place, and what is behind you is threatening you, and what is in front of you doesn’t offer any promise, stop complaining, stop crying, and stop feeling dejected and despondent. That is a word from God that we must carry into the new year: although we’re going into the unknown and what we are coming out of is not very exciting, God wants us to enter with faith, conviction, and commitment.
Stop crying. Then the second thing He tells Moses is to use what’s in your hand; use the rod in your hand. This is the rod that has saved Moses. When he first encountered God on Mount Horeb, he had that stick, his shepherd’s staff, in his hand. God touched it miraculously, and that was the rod God had been using throughout the miracles in Egypt. Now he’s standing before a new challenge, and he forgets that what has worked for him in the past can work for him now. Many times, when we are confronted with new challenges, we forget everything about our past victories. We forget how things used to be and how we overcame them. So God says to Moses, «I’m not going to give you new tools; you’re going to use the same tool you used in the past. You’re going to use the same rod. It’s the same God, the same faith; you’re going to trust the same God, and you will come through.»
What do we learn from this? When we are faced with unknown challenges, we have to trust what has worked for us in the past, especially from a spiritual point of view. God has worked for us in the past; if He brought you through, He will take you through. That’s what He’s telling them. Then He says to them to move forward. They’re not supposed to stay where they are; they are moving forward. They are not backing down, and they’re going to use what they have.
As you face the New Year, these are the lessons you can learn. First, stop crying. It’s tough; it’s difficult. Life has never been easy; life is always complex and challenging. Your circumstances will always be complex and difficult, so stop crying. And when you stop crying, move ahead. Move on; just get on with your life. That’s why we’re going into 2023. Whether you want to enter 2023 or not, 2023 is going to come to you. So you better face it hopefully. Move on and use what has worked for you in the past: the God you serve, your faith in the Lord, your trust in Him. If it worked for you in the past, it will work for you in the future.
I trust that as we go into the new year, the same God who is our Rock will go ahead of us and make a way for us. Let us pray. With me, Heavenly Father, I trust in you. By faith, I step forward beyond impossible barriers in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Well, tomorrow is the last day of the year, and we will come to you again. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.