by: Olivia Kerper
(Based on a sermon by Griffin Gilstrap at Harborside Church)
This past Sunday, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a thought-provoking and emotional sermon from my pastor. It had been awhile since I’d been to church, and I decided to finally stop making excuses and just go. And my gosh, was I glad I did.
The question at the beginning of the sermon was:
Why is following Jesus such a challenge?
We focused on the book of Exodus and the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Yes, I’ve heard this story one hundred times, but the pastor encouraged us all to look at it from a different perspective. He allowed us to consider seeing a parallel between our stories and that of the Israelites.
The pastor broke down each step and challenge that the Israelites faced after God brought them out of Egypt, post-plagues. We started in Exodus 13, where God decided to lead the Israelites the long way on their journey.
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.
exodus 13:17
The Israelites began to doubt what the Lord was doing, asking why God was leading them in a different direction than they were familiar with. It was revealed that war was waiting for them the shorter way, and He knew that the people would have turned around and abandoned their journey to the Promise Land had they went the way that their feet wanted to lead, rather than the path of the Lord.
We were reminded that we are walking the same journey of faith as the nation of Israel did thousands of years ago.
griffin gilstrap
God saw the struggle that the Israelites would face, despite their oblivion. He sees much more than we will ever see, and that is always a humbling reminder.
What seems like confusion might actually be God’s protection.
griffin gilstrap
In this face-paced world, it is so easy to get caught up in the idea of instant gratification. As humans, we want what we want right now, and we have the ability to get it. It may not be the best, but it is the fastest way. God challenges us to take a different perspective and challenge the idea of fast and easy.
God knows what we need exactly when we need it.
griffin gilstrap
Although the Lord led the Israelites the longer way to avoid war, the Pharaoh’s heart hardened and he decided to follow after the people whom he once called his slaves. This caused the Israelites to be terrified, rapidly losing hope when they barely had any to begin with.
Pharaoh following and trying to destroy God’s people can be paralleled with our past pursuing us.
It can be so difficult for us to escape the person we used to be, our unholy actions, and bad relationships. God will deliver us, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be tempted again. We are constantly facing the battle of who we used to be and who God wants us to be.
But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
exodus 14:4
God allows temptations to try to hold us back so that we can humbly choose to walk forward in faith, which brings glory to His name.
God turns our mess into our message and our trials into our testimony.
griffin gilstrap
Yet another challenge faced the Israelites–they refused to follow God’s path for them because they lacked the faith necessary to do so. This can be paralleled with our lives because fear will always point us backwards.
We are overcome with our sinful past and our fears about God’s intentions, His ability to fight for us. It is so important that we remember how wildly capable the Lord is at turning our struggles into miracles.
The Israelites are fearful because they believe that they are fighting the battle on their own. But what they don’t remember is God’s intention to deliver them from Egypt–He always follows through on His promises, in His perfect timing.
Faith will always allow us to move forward.
griffin gilstrap
Your battles are not meant to kill you. They are meant to show you how incredibly powerful and loving God is. He separates us from our battles and hardships so He can move us forward in our faith.
Griffin then reminded us something none of us noticed: every way that the Lord worked in the Israelite’s story occurred at night. In the darkness, God is able to truly shine and reveal Himself.
All the Israelites had to do was be still and God was able to move water for them, turning their obstacles into miracles.
Challenge yourself this week to be still and allow God to lead you to your victory in His perfect timing.
wanderlustingliv 