Your Present Position

What is your present position in terms of your mind? You know that you have been following Leader Jesus. You know that you have been given this time to ‘pitch your tents’, as instructed by the Lord. Like the children of Israel on their journey to the Promise Land, they have been told to turn back, stop, and encamp at the specified place. The furthest thing on their minds, while camped out, is having to face their past leader, he who had them cruelly enslaved. The furthest thing from their thoughts, is seeing the Egyptian army, charging at them with speed and resolve. They look up, they raise their eyes and all they see is instant death.  

I know and feel that this word is special for a few who are literally experiencing this situation in their saved lives. You have been moving along with your Lord, when suddenly, the Spirit instructs you to turn around.

The first thing is this. Faith must allow you to know that your turning back is not because you haven’t been obedient, or that you were being led the wrong way. Absolutely not! Banish all such thoughts! On the contrary, it is because you have been obedient to following the Lord’s lead, and because He wishes to show His spectacular power through you, His children that you are where you are. What may be your encamped position? It may be that in some work you are doing, some mission you are on, some message that you are preparing, all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that you have been told to stop and turn back, go back the route from which you have just journeyed.

The second thing is this. Faith must keep your hearts and minds open to who your God is. He never makes mistakes. He never leads you the wrong way. He never makes you do anything that is unnecessary and a waste of time. Every move Sovereign God makes, is well calculated and full of Divine purpose. And He will never have otherwise, for those who are obeying Him. There is much to be born, out of this very questionable move. 

The third thing is this. Faith must instruct at all times that God does not work according to human conventions. You must always trust the way and wisdom of a God whose ways look like foolishness to the world and all who think, speak and do as the world. The ways of God are never fathomed nor understood by carnal thinking. There are times, when you know that you are following the Lord, that you are called to turn back. It is not a repentance move, it is simply that God has included you as a major player in His master plan. He is depending on you.

This is where we must camp for a bit, to feed and ingest all that is before us. Yes, fear has taken hold of you, but God knows it. He knew that fear would be your first response. Don’t you think He knew His children well enough, to know that when they looked up and saw Pharaoh coming and all his chariots and men behind him, they would become mortally afraid? Don’t you think God had already planned for their responses? Let’s track God’s Divine responses to His children’s human responses.

Having had them in this encamped time, they are now all over the place and there is pure panic, wailing, crying, shouting and uncontrollable terror in the Israelite camp. Moses tries his best to quieten the terrified people, who have turned full attention to him, blaming him for taking them out of slavery, just to have them die in the desert. Moses can only cry out to God as well, for he cannot control this frenzied, panicked crowd. God’s response is so calm, simple and matter of fact. Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Exodus 14: 15b. Just tell them to continue moving. They are not to run like a herd in stampede. No! They are simply to continue walking. Is that possible? Can a terrified, angry and frenzied people, hundreds of them at that, become so calm and so ordered, with their enemies on their heels, to move on – no chaos, no pushing and no squeezing? Only with God, for nothing is impossible with God.

Many of us miss this miracle of the Israelites moving on, after their initial responses.  Have you ever thought of it? It is the same Moses whom they are obeying.

Only God!