Mensa Otabil - Go Forward
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Well, we are just about to enter a brand new year, and so we prepare our hearts with the Word of God as we go to the book of Exodus, chapter 14:15 — 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. They are 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. There are lessons that we can learn from this 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 being dejected or feeling a sense of despondency. That is a word from God that we have to enter into the new year with-that although we are 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 God says to Moses is to use what’s in your hand. Use the rod in your hand. You know, this is the rod that has served Moses well when he encountered God first on Mount Horeb; he had that stick, his shepherd’s staff in his hand. God touched it miraculously, and that was the rod that God had been using throughout the miracles in Egypt. Now he is 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, the same God, the same faith; you’re going to trust the same God, and you will come through.»
So, what do we learn from this? When we are faced with unknown challenges, we must 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’re not backing down, and they’re going to use what they have.
As you face the new year, these are 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 complicated and difficult. So, stop crying. When you stop crying, move ahead. 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. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I trust in You. By faith, I step forward beyond impossible barriers. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.