Standing there facing the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army behind them in hot pursuit, they saw no way of escape.The Hebrew slaves had just gained their freedom, but now they found themselves feeling trapped and afraid. In their fear, the freed slaves cried out, "It would have been better for us to live as slaves in Egypt than for us to die out here in the wilderness."
What is amazing about their complaining is how it reflects their inability to remember all that Yahweh had done in their lives. It is amazing that they still did not trust that Yahweh would see them through. Had they somehow missed it when Yahweh had caused all those plagues of confrontation? Had they forgotten so quickly the amazing experience of death passing over their houses but killing the first born of all others in Egypt?
But it is not easy to trust Yahweh when we are facing the Red Sea in front of us, and an angry army in hot pursuit behind us. For all of us the blessings of Yahweh we received in the past tend to be forgotten or irrelevant when we are facing some new danger. It is all too easy for us to allow our fears to replace our faith, even though just yesterday we experienced Yahweh's grace at work in our lives. How can we know for sure that Yahweh can be trusted today? Besides, there may be another explanation for the blessings we received in the past.
The problem is that the new life we really want is in truth a new life, and it is not easy to handle a new life, even if the old life has been some sort of bondage. At least we knew what to expect in the old life. We were familiar with the old life. And even when the old life was a hell, we were accustomed to it and it was all we knew, and even though we hated it, we had learned how to survive. But to be delivered from that hell and to be set free from the habit of hate that shaped so much of who we had become. took us into unfamiliar territory, and we who had become skilled in survival, suddenly discovered, we had to develop new skills and new attitudes toward life, toward others and toward ourselves.
And change can be very frightening.
The new life Yahweh is offering holds new dangers, new problems and challenges that we never had to deal with in our old lives. Living as free persons in the wilderness was going to be very different from living as slaves in Egypt. We can understand those freed slaves being afraid and complaining to Moses. To some degree most of us have been like them. We wanted Yahweh to help us change our lives for the better, and then at the first problem or challenge, we rejected what Yahweh was offering and desired and maybe even tried to return to whatever our "Egypt" had been.
But for us to live in the land Yahweh has promised, we must be set free from all that enslaves us. We must be set free from our slavery to selfishness, from our slavery to looking our for ourselves, and from our slavery to our independence. But to be set free from whatever enslaves us means following the new path. Yahweh's path, which can seem not only strange, but scary.
So it is understandable that when the first problems come we are strongly tempted to abandon Yahweh and His promises, even the possiblities of new life, and we are tempted to run back to what we know, our slavery. It may be hell to live with, but at least it is familiar territory.
So, where is our hope? Listen to what Yah'shua said - "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Then Yah'shua called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" - (Matthew 18:1-5).
But it is part of the "Code of Survival" to be independent and self-reliant" we have said. "To be able to stand on your own two feet and live life without anyone having to help you out, without needing anyone.
But what did Yah'shua say? "..unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." We are to become like a child."
One of the characteristics of children is that they are completely dependent and they realize it. You'll never hear a five-year-old child saying, "I'm a self-made, independent child who makes it on my own."
You'll never hear anything like that from a child. Instead you'll hear things like "I'm hungry," "Will you get that for me?" "Help me," and, "Will you carry me?"
In Yahweh's Kingdom, we too need to become like little children - children who are completely dependent upon their Father Yahweh. The apostle Paul tells us, ".we should not trust in ourselves but in Yahweh who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:9-10)
We are to be disciples and part of the definition of a true disciple is being dependent upon your teacher. Instead, of being self-made men and women we must instead depend upon Yahweh for everything and trust those He puts in our lives to parent us, mentor us and teach us.
Alex Haley the author of Roots says, "Every time I'm tempted to think, 'aren't I marvelous? Look at all I've accomplished!' I look at the picture I have on the wall of a turtle on a fence post and remember how this turtle - me - got up on that post." Becoming holy, becoming great in the Kingdom of Yahweh by ourselves is about as possible as a turtle climbing a fence post. The fact is that we cannot do it on our own. We need His help. We must depend on Him just like a little child.
To live the overcoming abundant life we must reach a place of surrender and absolute dependence upon Yahweh. We must become like little children trusting Him for every detail of our lives. We must trust those people that He puts in our lives. to love, lead, parent and teach us. He created us for community, to need and to depend on one another.
Trust can be one of the biggest hurddles we encounter. When we have lived our lives in survival mode, it can feel very threatening to open up and trust another person with our heart. However, we cannot heal or grow in isolation. It is tempting to want to stay in hiding, with only ourselves and Yahweh, but He never allows that, for He knows that we will never be free from we do not face, and we will never be an adult until we first become a child, and take the steps to healing and maturity.
Yahweh undertakes the things intrusted to Him and accomplishes it. By a step of faith we put ourselves into the hands of the Divine Potter; by a gradual process He makes us into a vessel unto His own honor.
Our part is to TRUST and SURRENDER. Trust Him with our lives, our hearts, our struggles, our fears and our doubts - and Surrender everything, knowing that we are safe in the hands of the Divine Potter.
His part is to DO, to heal, deliver, purify and refine, thus transforming us day by day, hour by hour to the image of Yah'shua.
