A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS

“Thus saith the Lord, which makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Remember you not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:16, 18-19
The story of the Hebrews, coming out of Egypt must be perpetuated. There are two major accounts of this experience. The early theory says the exodus occurred around 1446-1445 B.C. While the late theory suggests the exodus happened between 1300 and 1200 B.C. Regardless of which date is correct, the fact is that God led the Hebrews out of Egypt, just as He had promised. This demonstrates His great power and great love for His children.

I want to take you back to the book of Exodus.  We are looking here first at God’s power to do what is absolutely impossible in the natural. In Exodus 13:17ff, when the Hebrews left Egypt, they were trapped against the sea. Notice something here about the ways of the Lord.  Actually there was a short route to the Promised Land, through the land of the Philistines, but God did not send them the short way.  He sent them the long, round-about way through the wilderness.  His reason was: If He would send them the short way; the Philistines would put up a military resistance.  The people might turn back to Egypt being afraid to fight a war, so God took the precaution and led them a longer way through the wilderness.  Now that shows us something, that God does not always lead us in the shortest route, for our own protection, for our own sake.  God sometimes has to lead us to a destination the longer way because the shorter way would jeopardize us, would present dangers, which we might not be willing to face up to, or be able to face up to.  So God, at times, takes the long route.

The Hebrews faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill, and they thought they were doomed. There was no apparent way of escape, but the Lord opened up a dry path through the sea. In Isaiah 43:16-19, God however reminds the Hebrews of the great things He did for their fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. “He who did this can make a way for you in the sea when you return out of the Babylon.” He also assures and promises them not only to deliver them out of Babylon, but to conduct them safely and comfortably to their own land. One of the lessons of this passage is that “there is nothing God cannot do”. Let me also say it in another words, “there is nothing too difficult for God”; or better still, we can say that “with God, all things are possible”.

God is SO MUCH HIGHER than our problems, pain and perceived impossibilities that NOTHING is impossible with Him. Are you facing a seemingly impossible situation? Sometimes we find ourselves caught in a problem and see no way out. Don’t panic; God can open up a way.

Maybe it’s your marriage…you’ve tried everything you know how to do and it looks like this is the week where you guys are going to hit the proverbial wall and it is all going to fall apart.  You see no signs of things turning around and are tempted to give up…

Maybe it’s your children…you’ve tried your absolute best to raise them right…and now they have gone down a path that is breaking your heart.  You’ve quoted Proverbs 22:6 so many times it isn’t even funny and have asked God, “what did I do wrong.”  You want to give up on them…but the unbending love inside of you won’t let go…

“For nothing is impossible with God.” HE KNOWS…and it breaks His heart as well.  This is the point as a parent where you have to admit your lack of control and fall on your face at the feet of the One who reigns…the one who CAN bring your child back…no matter how far he has wandered away!

Maybe it’s your family member/friend that does not know Christ.  You’ve tried to talk to them, you’ve invited them to church—maybe they actually came once to shut you up – but you have seen NO change in them.  No matter how hard you tried, they seem to grow more cold and indifferent…

NOTHING is impossible with God—NOTHING!!!  Sometimes He brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can fully rely on Him by seeing how limited we are and how unlimited He is…

In conclusion, the words of the hymn of Charles Wesley with the title “All things are possible to him” readily come to mind. Stanza 3 of the hymn says

Though earth and hell the Word gainsay,

The Word of God can never fail;

The Lamb shall take my sins away,

’Tis certain, though impossible;

The thing impossible shall be,

All things are possible to me.
The world best known American worship songs leader, Don Moen also captured this in one of his famous songs, “God will make a way, where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me He will be my guide, Hold me closely to His side. With love and strength for each new day, He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me, and rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His Word will still remain, and He will do something new today Oh, God will make a way, where there seems to be no way, He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me etc.

Have a joyful week as you hold His hand to pilot you through the wilderness of life.

Your brother, Vicar & Archdeacon

        S. Igein Isemede