Back To Egypt...

It’s funny how things pop up, seemingly at random, but far too frequently to ignore. For example, last week our pastor talked about shying away from the BTEC (Back to Egypt Club) in a sermon. His point was simple – to steer clear of those people who want to walk us back to a life of comfort and ease yet away from God’s plan for us. That notion was a good one and I pondered it for a few minutes until the sermon ended and I was distracted by both the church lobby and the rest of life. But then, during my quiet times this past week, I found myself in the section of Jeremiah that discusses exactly that – God’s warning against going back to Egypt. See, there was a remnant of people who remained after nearly all of the Israelites got carted off to Babylon. They sought out Jeremiah to pray to God what His will would be for them. And, when the message of the Lord came through it was loud and clear and basically said this – Stay in this land. If you do, I’ll build you up. Don’t be afraid. Not even of the King of Babylon. I am the Lord. I will save you, show you compassion, and restore you. But, if you are determined to go back to Egypt, you will suffer by sword, by famine, and eventually by death. In other words – DO NOT go to Egypt.” It’s important to recognize what Egypt represents – a time, a place, a way that is known, comfortable, and relatively easy, but far from obedience. Egypt is deceptive because it can masquerade as obedience since it lulls us in with promises of peace and comfort, but it is actually the opposition of what God wants in this case. It fronts as a land of okay, when God is clearly calling for something entirely different. Truth is - God’s promise often takes us into situations where our peace, our power, and our comfort are disrupted in order to prove Himself ever faithful.

A short time ago, I was chatting with a friend about precise obedience and how there is just a lack of precision to so many of the things we are executing for the Lord. We hesitate in our timely response, we waver in our willingness to follow through, and often even resist petitioning the Lord’s opinion on much of life. And we do so, in the same nature as the Israelites described above. We want to know the Lord’s will, but we want it limited to our comfort zone and its suburbs. Yet, as we get into the rural parts of our lives and faith walks, the places we go with little frequency, we are privy to the promises delineated in Jeremiah 42:10 – 12. In these open and unvisited spaces, we catch glimpses of glory unable to be seen from anywhere else.

Jeremiah 42:10 – 12 says this:

‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

Through Jeremiah, God warns us to not go back to Egypt, to not go back to the places He has saved us from. We are not to run back to our comfort whether fear or others should tempt us toward it. We are only to run towards Christ and to the places he calls us to stay or to leave. So then, as I sit and ponder this reality, I must question what is the Egypt in my own life? And, how is it drawing me back again?

Waiting On God

It’s been a long while since my good friend recommended that I read Waiting On God by Andrew Murray. In the spirit of waiting, I did, and now it’s been a few years and I am finally getting around to it. Last year, for Lent, I decided to give up sweets. Minus one small run in with a fortune cookie, I did it, learned a little about patience, increased confidence in my ability to have self-control, but was otherwise unchanged… And that’s ok. Lent isn’t about being changed, it is about being prepared through the unity of sacrifice. To, in some way, begin to comprehend Jesus’ sacrifice of His life on the cross and the power of His resurrection three days later. In short, Lent reminds me that eternal things are to be minded more than earthly things and for that to be so in my life, it requires being in constant states of rend. Not just during Lent, but all year round. I don’t “lent” for impact or favor, I lent because there is something about intentional and holy reminders, even when uncomfortable, that helps me understand God better and know Him a little more.

All that said, I began the journey of reading Waiting On God anticipating a 31- Day pep rally on why I should wait. And, while it’s all well and good to know why, there are times when it is more comforting to know how… And that’s what Murray delineates so clearly through the 15 days of reading I’ve done so far. On Day 2, he came with this line: “We hinder Him either by our indifference or by our self-effort, so that He cannot do what He would. What He asks of us, in the way of surrender, and obedience, and desire, and trust is all comprised in this one word: waiting on Him, waiting for His salvation.” See, even in our intent to wait, we put up defenses to impede His will over us and letting His work be done in our own life. Later, in Day 3, he nails this home by sharing this: “Just as it was God’s work to create, it is His work to maintain.” In saying this, we are implicated in our personal conspiracy to pray and live our way out of the situations and circumstances that cause us to need God. Waiting on God is never about reaching a point when we no longer need Him, it’s about reaching that point when we no longer need us.

So, despite the fact that my journey through Lent with Andrew Murray is not yet halfway through, I have read enough to understand that waiting is much greater than simply enduring the tension between the now and the not yet. There are, in fact, purposeful and meaningful ways to wait without apathy, anxiety, or human effort. As it states in Psalm 25 – “Let none that wait on You be ashamed.” Thus, as I wait, I shall understand that waiting is part of how God maintains my faith in Him, grows my need for him, and increases my longing for my heavenly home. In this, there is no shame for what has not yet come or for being still when the world around me “works” to get what they want. Let us each grow confident in patient waiting as we give way to God’s work in our own lives, not hindering His timing nor His plan.