24 May 2012

A way through the sea

So.....the past few weeks, and for the next few months, our church has been hearing a different story each week. Then, our pastor has preached on it. The focus is basically how the big, overall Grace story intersects with all the little ones.  It's been amazing, and I've posted about the telling of the Joseph story.  I've been asked to tell this week's story. I'm a little nervous, as I'm the first young person to do it(!) and it's for all three services, but I'm also incredibly excited. I get to tell the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.
 It's been funny that as we've been hearing these stories in church, the discussions that my small group{What we do instead of youth group} have been very similar to the stories. This week is no different.

Last night four of us girls and our three leaders sat squashed onto two couches after dinner, and talked about what we've had going on with us lately.
  To be honest, it's some really hard, crazy stuff. We were talking about Phillipians 4, specifically verse 6, and one of the leaders pointed out that {in the New Living Translation} its tell God what you need, then thank Him for what He has given you . So we were discussing one thing we each needed to ask God for, and one thing we were each really grateful for.

A lot of us are asking for miracles. We're looking into these crazy difficult circumstances, and maybe not seeing many options.  I got to thinking about the Red Sea story that I've been immersed in all week, and wondering if maybe it was kind of applicable for us right now.  The Jews stood on the shore of the sea with no boats, no way to cross, no time to go around, stuck between it and the onslaught of the Egyptian army. They had no feasible options, and they were sure they were about to die. They were scared. God tells Moses:
 
"Stretch your staff over the water in front of you"

Moses does what he asks, and they are protected form the army behind them while a wind dries up the very ocean in front of them. You know the story. They walk across the sea on dry land.
I kind of brought that up, and pointed out that when they thought they were done for for sure, something big happened. One of the leaders {All three are awesome, by the way} kind of grabbed ahold of that thought and summarized it really well.
"So pretty much," she said, "they saw these two ways, but God provided a third, much better way that they didn't even see or think of."
Yes. Exactly.
And I think of all these stories we've been studying where in the little picture story, all there is is pain. But in the big God-story, it is something far greater. And the phrase that reverberates across the centuries from the Joseph story is this.
What you meant for evil, God meant for good.
All these miracles we're asking God for right now, we're not seeing the way out.
His plan though, is far, far, greater than what I see.
And I do know ho the story ends.

Love:)

R

1 comment:

  1. So good to be reminded.Thank you for sharing sweet sister! Love & prayers, in Jesus, Cynthia

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