Dependent Upon God

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Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1


   Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food and water from the air, ground, and a rock. (If this is new to you then you really need to read the story.) So, why all the drama?

   I think the answer is very simple: God wanted His people to learn to depend upon Him. For over 300 years they have been slaves in a land where every god was worshipped, every god except the LORD. He was forgotten by them. So, each step in their journey was carefully directed by Him in order to teach them to trust solely in Him. In other words, the LORD removed every crutch they had learned to lean upon so they had no choice but to depend upon Him. In their case they either trusted in Him or they died. That's drastic, but it worked.

   God does the same today. He wants us to depend upon Him. He will sometimes remove those things that we rely upon in order to get our attention. We rely upon job security, health, wealth, relationships, power and authority, notoriety, and many others. None of these are wrong in and of themselves, but we often depend upon these at the expense of depending upon God, sometimes replacing Him. That is idolatry, and God does not tolerate it well...especially in Christians!

   Could it be that the hardship you are enduring right now is God taking you to a place where you have no choice but to depend solely upon Him? 






* Photo borrowed from http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/59133d0273f2f325658b49cb/how-to-find-water-when-youre-stuck-in-the-desert.jpg

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 26, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    Hi Pastor Kyle! I'm glad to see you are well! I hope the same for the family as well. Just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed the piece, and I truly and strongly believe that is how God works. As I have experienced similar situations in my life more than once, and am grateful that God lead me back and revealed that very thing to me. This is definitely a thought-provoking article and I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing the encouragement! Many Blessings Pastor Kyle to you and the family. May this year be better, healthier, and more prosperous than the last!

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    Replies
    1. KyleJanuary 29, 2018 at 6:19 PM

      Thank you Jacquie!
      Blessings to you as well.

      Delete

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