Thursday, November 09, 2006
Letting Go and Moving On
Have you ever had a time when the Lord seemed to converge on a specific theme during the whole day? Well it happened to me yesterday.
It seemed like God was putting His finger on one aspect - on letting go and moving on. I sensed this both during my quiet time in the morning, and when I attended yesterday's fellowship meeting in the evening. The Holy Spirit was tangibly present and working with the entire group. I did not scream or laugh, or fall to the ground, as many did. Instead, what I received from the Father was a precious word.
"Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more."
At this point, I am not sure what will change, but I know that something has changed. And all I know is that I need to write this encounter down so that I do not forget...
"Sometimes, we have to let go in order to hold on...."
I started the day thinking about that after reading the following verses in Exodus about the Israelites leaving Egypt:
What left an impression on me was how stubborn the enemy was in preventing the liberation of the people of God. After all the signs, miracles and punishment on the land of Egypt, the Egyptian king still wanted to keep the Israelites in bondage.
The Isrealites had to come out of Egypt, their place of slavery. This is the place where, if they stayed on, God's plans would not be fulfilled in them. As I was traversing the story, it dawned me one thing: The biggest challenge for the people of God was not the physical escape from Egypt. Despite all the physical struggles of breaking free and coming out, the more substantial challenge, was continuing to be free, and continuing on the road to freedom. For the Israelites, they could not let go of their history and upbringing -- what they knew and were familiar with. This was notwithstanding the fact that their history was a life lived in the pits, full of dirt, abuse and torment. At least it was comfortable and something they were familiar with rather than the unknown. Listen again to what they had to say: 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'
They could not let go in their minds that "place": familiar possibilities, people, things, dreams, habits, and their own way of doing things. This "place" represents people, things, ambitions, dreams and habits that have lorded over them, just as these things can lord over us. The Israelites had to let go of Egypt. So must we. But the biggest challenge is not getting out physically. The problem isn't that one can escape the clutches of slavery -- it's in staying out and maintaining the liberty that poses the most significant hurdle.
Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. Don't we echo the same sentiment sometimes? We probably do not physically voice the exact same rhetoric, but I suspect that we act as if that was true by clinging on to our old masters even when the Lord is trying to set us free.
The journey out to freedom will not be easy. These old masters (including our own thinking patterns, habits and ambitions) will want you back. The chase will be fierce. Your resolve will be tested.
It will seem like our early and bold steps out somtimes will feel like it's running out of momentum:
"Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more."
It made me then think about what I read in Exodus. I knew that God was speaking to me to let go. To let go of relationship dynamics that will hold me back. To let go of ambitions that will overshadow His purposes. To let go of the grip of the past - which can be good things and bad - both can cast a net on us in moving forward.
In what manner are we leaving Egypt? Have we even left our Egypt completely? We can sometimes lose heart, or lose our way even without us realizing it.
The enemy of our souls is stubborn. But in the power of the Lord God, we need to be more stubborn. And it's not merely a matter of letting go, it's a matter of putting on, and embracing what the Father is giving us.
The encouragement for me was this: In our times of weakness, we need to remember that the Lord fights for us, and He surrounds us with His glory. "Tell the Israelites to move on." And in order to move on, we have to let go. We cannot look back, dwelling on what's painful (or perhaps comforting). Or think, maybe if I had done that, or be like that, things would have been different and not ended up where I am now.
When embarking on this journey out of Egypt, and towards crossing the Jordon into the promised land, travel light... don't look back for too long. Heed what the Lord says: let go and let Him move you on.
It seemed like God was putting His finger on one aspect - on letting go and moving on. I sensed this both during my quiet time in the morning, and when I attended yesterday's fellowship meeting in the evening. The Holy Spirit was tangibly present and working with the entire group. I did not scream or laugh, or fall to the ground, as many did. Instead, what I received from the Father was a precious word.
"Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more."
At this point, I am not sure what will change, but I know that something has changed. And all I know is that I need to write this encounter down so that I do not forget...
"Sometimes, we have to let go in order to hold on...."
I started the day thinking about that after reading the following verses in Exodus about the Israelites leaving Egypt:
- When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians--all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops--pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on." (Exodus 14:5-15)
What left an impression on me was how stubborn the enemy was in preventing the liberation of the people of God. After all the signs, miracles and punishment on the land of Egypt, the Egyptian king still wanted to keep the Israelites in bondage.
The Isrealites had to come out of Egypt, their place of slavery. This is the place where, if they stayed on, God's plans would not be fulfilled in them. As I was traversing the story, it dawned me one thing: The biggest challenge for the people of God was not the physical escape from Egypt. Despite all the physical struggles of breaking free and coming out, the more substantial challenge, was continuing to be free, and continuing on the road to freedom. For the Israelites, they could not let go of their history and upbringing -- what they knew and were familiar with. This was notwithstanding the fact that their history was a life lived in the pits, full of dirt, abuse and torment. At least it was comfortable and something they were familiar with rather than the unknown. Listen again to what they had to say: 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'
They could not let go in their minds that "place": familiar possibilities, people, things, dreams, habits, and their own way of doing things. This "place" represents people, things, ambitions, dreams and habits that have lorded over them, just as these things can lord over us. The Israelites had to let go of Egypt. So must we. But the biggest challenge is not getting out physically. The problem isn't that one can escape the clutches of slavery -- it's in staying out and maintaining the liberty that poses the most significant hurdle.
Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians. Don't we echo the same sentiment sometimes? We probably do not physically voice the exact same rhetoric, but I suspect that we act as if that was true by clinging on to our old masters even when the Lord is trying to set us free.
The journey out to freedom will not be easy. These old masters (including our own thinking patterns, habits and ambitions) will want you back. The chase will be fierce. Your resolve will be tested.
It will seem like our early and bold steps out somtimes will feel like it's running out of momentum:
- Perhaps it was not such a good idea.
Maybe it was just in my head.
Maybe the cost of serving the Lord is not worth what I am paying for it, better to start taking care of myself otherwise no one will.
I don't feel like I am going anywhere. Why try? Just cut my losses now...
"Let go. Let go of what you are holding in your hand. I will give you more."
It made me then think about what I read in Exodus. I knew that God was speaking to me to let go. To let go of relationship dynamics that will hold me back. To let go of ambitions that will overshadow His purposes. To let go of the grip of the past - which can be good things and bad - both can cast a net on us in moving forward.
In what manner are we leaving Egypt? Have we even left our Egypt completely? We can sometimes lose heart, or lose our way even without us realizing it.
The enemy of our souls is stubborn. But in the power of the Lord God, we need to be more stubborn. And it's not merely a matter of letting go, it's a matter of putting on, and embracing what the Father is giving us.
The encouragement for me was this: In our times of weakness, we need to remember that the Lord fights for us, and He surrounds us with His glory. "Tell the Israelites to move on." And in order to move on, we have to let go. We cannot look back, dwelling on what's painful (or perhaps comforting). Or think, maybe if I had done that, or be like that, things would have been different and not ended up where I am now.
When embarking on this journey out of Egypt, and towards crossing the Jordon into the promised land, travel light... don't look back for too long. Heed what the Lord says: let go and let Him move you on.
Labels: Change / Progress, Christian Living, Spiritual Growth
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I like the idea of God's theme for the day...I need to pay attention!
Doug :)
Doug :)
# posted by 
: November 29, 2006 11:53 p.m.
: November 29, 2006 11:53 p.m.Post a Comment
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