He Will Bring You Through It

There they stood utterly overwhelmed with the spirit of fear.  Before them were the still vast waters of the sea and behind them those venomous Egyptians slithered closer and closer.  Many cried out to Moses saying, "What have you done to us?  We were better off in Egypt and now we are going to die by their hand" (Ex. 14:12).  Oh how quick they were to lose faith.  Then at once howled a boisterous wind cutting through the waters dividing them apart.  A clear bath through the sea was now open.  Moses as the leader steps forward saying "Do not be afraid.  Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (Ex. 14:13).  Still the people hesitate wondering if they should proceed?  They place one foot in front of another tentatively walking through as timid sheep.  Would the waves come crashing down?  As they neared the end of the sea the Egyptians footsteps shook the ground behind them.  They were coming hard and fast.  Fear overcomes the people again as they forgot that they need not a soldier as the Lord is their champion.  Providence strikes the chariots wheels.  The breath of God subsides sending the waves to come crashing down on their enemies.  The Egyptians were engulfed by the Sea.  They were free as salvation is of the Lord!  A valuable lesson is learned by the Israelites that whatever affliction God brings His people to He will bring them through!

Slow to Wrath

In my morning Bible study time I have been reading through the book of Exodus.  Many lessons can be learned from reading this historical narrative.  One thing that is very evident in regards to the nature of God is that He is slow to wrath and gives people many opportunities to repent.  Pharaoh was given several opportunities to repent before God brought His divine justice upon him.  If Pharaoh would have heeded the voice of God he would have escaped the judgment.  Here is what Matthew Henry had to say about this topic:

See how slow God is to wrath, and how willing to be met with in the way of judgments and to have His anger turned away, and particulalry how precious the lives of men are in His eyes: if the death of their cattle had humbled them and reformed them, their children would have been spared: but if, men will not improve the gradual advances of divine judgments, they must thank themselves if they find, in the issues, that the worst was reserved for the last (Matthew Henry).

God is often slow to wrath; however He will not withhold it forever.  Eventually the Lord's patience will wear thin and the stony hearted person will face their day of reckoning.  Do not wait until it is to late to obey the voice of the Lord!

 

Wait, I say, On the Lord

There is a word that sounds like a foreign language to most people in our individualistic, driven and focused society.  Many people often scoff at this word and it seems as if they even detest it.  The word I am referring to is "wait."

We live in the day and age of instant soup, fast food and cell phones.  People are not accustomed to waiting for anything.  When they want something they want it now!  When a decision needs to be made we value the one that can make the decision instantly.  When a person is going through hard times we praise the person that can solve the problem quickly.  Often there is something missing in these equations.  That missing piece is learning the art of waiting.  More specifically as we read in the Psalms to "Wait on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14).

In Psalm 27 we read David's reflections about some unwanted and really unwarranted afflictions that have enter into his life.  His enemy, Saul, who was jealous of David was pursuing him in order to kill him.  David had learned to live his life on the go as a pilgrim.  His heart was heavy because of these events he had not been able to be in the Lord's house for an extended period of time (Ps. 27:4).  Oh how he longed to know those days of worship in the tabernacle of the Lord.  He finds himself living with an enormous amount of anxiety as everyday of his life is lived in fear of being delivered into the hand of his enemy (Ps. 27:12).  As David was looking and longing for better days he penned these inspired words, "Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14).

There is great application that we can take from this verse.  Perhaps you find yourself in the furnace of affliction like David was in?  Or maybe there is some big decision you are facing and choices that need to be made?  Well, we should heed the exhortation of this Psalm and "Wait on the Lord."  Here is what the great Baptist theologian John Gill had to say upon dwelling upon this subject:

It becomes believers to wait on the Lord for the common blessings of life, for even the eyes of all wait upon him for their daily food; and for the light of his countenance, when it is withdrawn from them, he he will return again at the set time; and for answers of prayer which will be given sooner or later; and for the performance of his promises, which are yea and amen in Christ.

The Lord will bring those blessings to pass so it is incumbent upon us to wait on the Lord!