The Bible Recap Day 34

 The Bible Recap Day 34

Exodus 13-15

God Shot: Delivered Through not From


In 2013 a minister was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given less than 90 days to live. The following Sunday, he got up to preach his last sermon ever. I was in the congregation and he said that he had always wondered that if he knew that a sermon was going to be his last what would he preach on. Then he had us turn to Exodus 14 and read the story of the parting of the Red Sea. I thought “What a weird passage to use as your last sermon ever”. But his focus was not necessarily on the parting of the Red Sea, it was on verse 22,

And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” There was a phrase he focused on in there “into the midst of the sea”. He said, and I am paraphrasing, “God could have done many things to get them over the water, he could have given them wings to fly over, but he chose to take them through.... the cancer that I have is not a curse, I am in the midst of Gods plan for my life just as the Israelite’s were when they walked through the Red Sea. Being in the midst of Gods plan is not always fun, but it is in the center of his plan so we should recognize that sometimes we just have to be ok with being in the midst of whatever it is and know that we are there for a reason.” That minister died less than 80 days later still professing that he was in the midst of Gods plan... I know... he was my dad and I was the one that was holding him when his heart stopped beating. 


I am sitting here with tears in my eyes missing my dad. But the last great thing that he taught me was that when we pray “deliver us from evil” from the Lord’s Prayer we need to understand that sometimes being delivered from means delivered through.  There are many times when I doubt God’s plan for my life. I just don’t understand it all. Back up to Exodus 13:17, it says, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” God knew that the Israelites would fail if they took the easiest path. I look back at my own life and see how God knew that I would not “act” unless I was forced to. It was not the easy path that I wanted but he knew that it was what I had to do to be in the midst of his will. As I sit here and type this out I am thinking about where I am in life and I have so many questions as to why I am where I am. My prayer today is that I remember that God promised to deliver me “from” whatever it is that I am struggling with, and I need to remember that that deliverance may have to be through not just from.


Dad, I love you. I miss you. I am so thankful that you were the dad that God called you to be and that I was given the chance to be your son. 


Your Buddy

Mike

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