The Israelites’ deliverance to freedom, was it chance, fate or God’s will?

No doubt it was God’s will.  It is pretty easy to see God’s will in the Bible stories, but what about today?

Aaron Boone’s game winning home run in the 11^th inning of game 7 of the American League Champion Series, was it chance, fate, God’s will or the curse of the Bambino?

What about Dr. Glenn Cunningham who held the world’s record for the fastest mile?  As a child he was dragged unconscious, out of a schoolhouse engulfed in flames.  With major burns over half his body the doctors gave him a slim chance for survival.  If he survived, the doctors gave him a zero chance of ever walking again.  The fact that years later he held the world record in the one mile run, was it chance, fate or God’s will?

Let me read you a paragraph from a story about Dr. Cunningham’s life. “Ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk haltingly, then to walk by himself and then to run. This young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, this determined young man ran the worlds fastest mile!”

His iron persistence and his resolute determination, is that really the reason for Dr. Cunningham’s world record?  What about God?  Where does God fit in with regards to the success any of these individuals? Where does God fit in your success and mine?

Why are we so quick to acknowledge chance or fate or persistence or determination, before we will acknowledge God?

Have you ever seen a parent with a young child walking down the street? As they approach the corner and in preparation to cross the street the mother or father says to the child give me your hand and the child says, “No!”  The parent responds, “You have to hold my hand before we can cross the street.”  The child refuses to give the parent his hand.  The parent attempts to grab the child's hand and he fights the attempt.

How accurate of a portrayal is it of you and God?

God wants to hold our hand through life and we want so desperately to pull free of God.  We want to be our own God.  What area of life would you rather go it alone than take your Father’s hand?  We might think and say none, but truthfully that’s not the way we live.  Truthfully, how does your relationship with God affect your relationships, the way you spend your time and your money, the habits you have formed, the kinds of entertainment you watch?

It seems like an accurate description of the Israelites.  Sadly, like the Israelites in this morning’s Bible story we, at times become discouraged by worldly events and with God.  Moses said to God, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me…?”

The Israelites didn’t want to hear any more about God and His promises because the last time they listened to Moses all they got was more work and greater suffering.  Can you relate to that?  Have you ever turned to God for help, for relief from a situation and found that your situation didn’t get any better and maybe it got a little worse?

Setbacks, no doubt, turn people away from wanting to hear more about God.  That is because we focus on the setbacks and the reversals instead of focusing on God.

How hard it must have been for Moses to bring God’s message to Pharaoh when his own people had trouble believing it.  Moses stayed focused on God and obeyed.

What we need to learn from this story is that when the chances for success appear slim stay focused on God and obey.  Anyone can obey God when the task is easy and everyone is behind it.  Only those with persistent faith, only those who acknowledge God can obey when the task seems impossible.

It takes more than just worshipping God to acknowledge God.  It takes more than calling on God in times of trouble.  God is not a heavenly fire department to be called upon only when your life is being engulfed in flames.

That is not to say we shouldn’t call upon God to rescue us and put out the blaze.  We must reshape our image of God to see Him as something far greater than to be used only in case of emergency.  We must acknowledge God in both deliverance and destruction.

I believe a problem that we face is we have elevated the image of humanity while at the same time we have lowered the image of God. We acknowledge the accomplishments of humanity without acknowledging the God who gave men and women their abilities.

Pharaoh refused to acknowledge God and we know what happened. Death and destruction brought down his nation.  We must learn from his foolishness and acknowledge God.

Acknowledging God requires a bending of the knees.  It requires acknowledging your absolute dependence on Him for every part of life.

I want everyone to take a deep breath.  Have I made my point?

From the air that we breathe, to the food that we eat, to the clothes on our back, to the people in our lives, to the jobs that we hold, to the abilities that we have, to forgiveness and salvation God has provided, we must acknowledge God as a servant bows before his king,