RHEMA MAGAZINE |
IN TIMES OF
CRISIS
by Edward Miller
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and
see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day:
for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them
again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore
criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they
go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand
over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go
on dry ground through the midst of the sea (Exodus 14:13-16).
Here we find a people in a crisis situation. Ahead lay the
waters of the Red Sea and behind them the enemy. Where could they
go? What was their way out? By all appearances there was no way
out. These people had seen God move and work in a devastating
manner against a foolish nation that refused to let them go.
After God's repeated intervention, the Hebrews finally left the
land of their slavery with singing and rejoicing. They weren't
soldiers and they didn't have an army. As a matter of fact, they
knew nothing about warfare. It was the hand of God that set them
free. Now one would think that after all that God did to those
stubborn Egyptians they would have been convinced of their
defeat. But no, that wasn't the case. They tested God to the very
end. And now, to the Israelites dismay, the Egyptian army had
followed them. Moses then stood before the people and said,
"Fear not." He spoke from his heart, from his own faith
- a faith that God had planted there.
First Key
We often find ourselves in crisis situations and we don't know
which way to turn - to the right or to the left - every direction
seems hopeless. We find it difficult to pray. We ask for help but
don't seem to receive it. The first words that came out of Moses'
mouth were, "Fear not." Do you know why it's so
important not to fear? Fear robs faith. If you allow fear to grip
you, your faith immediately decreases. In times of crisis the key
words are Fear not. Crises come in this life. You could lose your
job, someone close to you could be in an accident, or perhaps a
problem arises that demands an immediate answer. Remember: Fear
not!
In Scripture we find the words "fear not" many
times. Whenever an angel brought a message to a person the first
thing said would be, "Fear not." When Jesus revealed
Himself He also used this expression. We are very prone to fear.
We are weak and vulnerable and we know it.
From the moment Moses saw the burning bush a faith burned in
his heart. He wanted to impart this same faith to the people. He
didn't have the slightest idea how God was going to save them,
but he believed in God regardless. He knew that God was big
enough to intervene in this new crisis. God always surprises us
when He intervenes. His methods are different every time. Without
a doubt the rod was one of these different methods in operation.
And it was a miracle that a mere sling and stone killed a giant.
We like to repeat methods that gave us success, but God likes to
do things different each time. We can't anticipate God. He works
in so many different manners. I have seen many great ministries -
men and women of God - but each operating in a different manner.
Second Key
We like to imagine how God will intervene and then
"help" Him. However, the only thing we need to do is
remain quiet and wait and see how He will do it. Remain firm in
your position of faith. ...stand still, and see the salvation of
the Lord...
All that the children of Israel saw was an army behind them.
They didn't see any battle. They didn't see a fight. They didn't
see the angels removing the wheels of the enemy chariots, but
they did see the salvation of the Lord. They couldn't see what
was happening in the invisible world, but they did see what God
did in this adverse circumstance. They saw the miracle of the Red
Sea.
I Corinthians 10:2 says: And all were baptized unto Moses in the
cloud and in the sea... The children of Israel were going to be
baptized, but they didn't know it. God delivered them in a
strange manner. He made them pass through the Red Sea. This
speaks to us of the cleansing by the Blood. The Lord said that
they would see the salvation of the Lord. He didn't say,
"You will see what I will do to your enemy." They were
going to see something much bigger than that - they were going to
see grace in operation. They were going to be baptized and
experience the beginning of something new. The Red Sea, which
they feared to cross, saved them completely from their enemy.
They were washed and cleansed and the enemy could not destroy
them.
The cleansing Blood is something very precious to us, but
something very terrible to the devil. The church services that
the devil hates the most are services of repentance. He hates
repentance because for him it means death. He can't come against
the blood.
The command came as to what the children of Israel were to do:
Stand still. Many falter on this because they feel they have to
do something. If the order to advance has not been given then
don't go forward. Wait!
The battle is the Lord's. Stand still and wait! There are things
that come against us, and things that want to destroy us. But
stand still in the armor of God. We know how the Book of Job
ended, but Job didn't. But he stood firm and continued to believe
in God throughout his trial.
When I was in Bible College I needed to trade my car for a
larger one, one that could carry more young people. God gave me a
word from Isaiah 28:16, ...he that believeth shall not make
haste. So I waited. Now there was a certain 1937 model car that I
wanted. It was ideal for my needs, but I couldn't find one
anywhere. Six weeks passed and still I couldn't find the car I
wanted. I reasoned that a six week wait was long enough, even
though every once in a while I would still hear those words, He
that believeth shall not make haste. I would think, "But I'm
not rushing." I went ahead and bought a different car. Two
weeks later I came across an ad in the newspaper for the very car
I originally wanted, and it was a lot cheaper than what I ended
up paying. He that believeth shall not make haste!
Third Key
When you have a word given by God then you can move out. There
might be one who will say, "I believe in God. I'm going to
swim in the Red Sea." Another might say as Peter did,
"I'm going to walk upon the water." Stand still and
wait until the order is given as to what you are to do. We read
in Ephesians 6:11, Put on the whole armour of God,... Don't stand
still without the armor of God. Don't stand still without being
prepared. Parts of this armor are defensive so that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil
Silence! Whenever the devil spoke to Jesus, the Lord made him
keep quiet. When the children of Israel marched around Jericho
they were commanded not to speak. Often when we talk fear enters
in and destroys our faith. If you're in a crisis situation don't
share your battle story with your neighbor - have mercy on him!
Don't share what you think or the enemy will use what you say
against you. If you can't speak in faith and hope then don't
speak. Not just because someone else will hear you, but because
you hear yourself. The power in speech is something very potent -
especially when the words are lies or full of hypocrisy.
Politicians are full of lies and hypocrisy, but nevertheless,
through these means they get their votes.
If you are in a crisis don't talk, be quiet and wait on God.
Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you:... (John
14:27). Jesus gives us His peace. You can have peace on the
inside and also peace on your lips. Our battle doesn't involve
guns or swords. Our weapons are spiritual not carnal. We must
learn to defend ourselves and fight in the spiritual realm.
Let's look again at the three keys Moses, the man of God, gave
the people in their time of crisis.
Fear not!
Stand still!
Silence!
First Command
There is a time to pray and cry out and there's a time to
abstain from that. This was not a time to pray, but a time to do
something. Now let's see what God said to the people. The command
was: Speak unto the children of Israel that they go
forward...(v15). They were to go forward into the apparent
impossible. But they trusted God and weren't destroyed. Like the
three Hebrew children, who upon entering the burning oven, fell
into the arms of the Almighty. Perhaps you say, "But I'll
die!" Well, if you die, die going forward and not
retreating. I would rather die with an arrow in my chest than in
my back.
As David ran toward the giant he wasn't thinking, "He's
so tall! He's so big!" He just ran toward the impossible.
Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem where the cross awaited Him.
The people marched and God met with them. If we go forward, God
will meet with us. He will never lead us into destruction. If you
go where He leads you, you'll go from victory to victory and from
glory to glory.
Second Command
God said to Moses, but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it:... The rod is a symbol of discipline. The shepherd corrects his sheep with a rod, not with his hand. God commanded Moses to lift up his rod over the Red Sea. This sea is symbolic of the human masses. There are people on both sides of the sea - one group for salvation and the other for destruction. God was angry with His enemies. When He rises up in war, His anger also rises. God told the Babylonians that they would be destroyed with the rod of His anger. God is angry with His enemies. All the killing of unborn babies in our day will one day be judged. Meanwhile, God waits...
God hates His enemies and often commands, "Lift up your
rod!" Many years ago I was in a church in Oregon where I
heard a strange testimony. A Christian mother time after time
battled with her son because he never came home at the agreed
time. She prayed about it and the Lord gave her this Scripture,
...stripes for the back of fools (Proverbs 19:29). When he came
home late that night the mother said, "You're home
late."
"Yes," replied the son.
"You gave me your word that you would be home at a decent
hour. Take off your shirt."
"What for?"
"Take off your shirt because I'm going to whip you."
The following commotion woke up the father who got up and
finished what his wife started. In church the next Sunday the
son, with his own lips, gave this testimony, "My mother
loves me. She gave me a whipping me because God told her
to."
The Egyptians speak of the enemy, and the Red Sea of the Blood
of Christ. Moses lifted up his rod and an impossibility was made
possible. We are in a war, but we have been given clear orders,
so there is no reason to fear. We need to stand still, march
forward, lift up the rod against the enemy, and He will give the
victory. Hallelujah!