You Must Pick The Apples

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rowing up on Main Street had many advantages.  We were close to town, everyone knew where Main Street was located, and my best friend lived right beside me.  We were also surrounded by wonderful neighbors.  The Littles and Busbys lived across the street, the Bames lived to our right, the Ramseys and the Beams lived behind us, and Mom and Pop Jenkins lived to our left.

All our neighbors were wonderful but Mom and Pop held a special place in my heart.  They always spoke to us and took time to be involved in what we were doing.  And if we did anything wrong or if we got out of line, Mom made sure to correct us and then she made sure our parents knew all about it.  Things have certainly changed, haven’t they?

Mom always had something good to eat in her kitchen.  Every day she would pack Pop’s lunch box with things no cafeteria or restaurant could ever match.  No matter what he had for lunch, Pop always had homemade dessert, and pie was his favorite.  It also happened to be mine and when Mom made an apple pie and offered you a slice, you dropped whatever it was you were doing and answered the call!

We had a June apple tree in our backyard.  Every summer it would blossom and produce lots of apples that usually fell to the ground faster than we could pick or eat them.  One day I asked Mom to bake me an apple pie.  She agreed but said I had to pick the apples.  Mom was willing to bake the pie for me because I couldn't do it, but she was not willing to pick the apples—that was my job.

The Children of Israel had occasion to learn this lesson, only it didn't concern picking apples for a pie.  Just after leaving Egypt, the people arrived at the Red Sea.  Pharaoh and his army pursued them.  When the people saw Pharaoh’s army behind them and the sea in front of them they began to cry out to Moses, asking why he had brought them into the wilderness to die.  Moses told the people to have faith, that God would fight for them, and that Pharaoh’s army could not harm them.

In Exodus 14:15, we find God’s response to Moses and the people, “And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”  Look at the last word in the verse.  God meant for the people to go forward, there was only one problem, moving forward meant moving into the sea!  From their perspective, the people saw a trap.  Pharaoh and certain death were behind them and the sea and certain death were before them.  And in the face of this terrible situation God told them to move forward.

This is always God’s way.  He will not do for us what we can do for ourselves.  The people could not open the Red Sea but they could walk and that is what God asked them to do.  He simply said “Walk forward!  I’ll take care of the sea and of Pharaoh!  You don’t need to worry about the circumstances around you, I just want you to walk forward and I will make a way and that way will lead straight to me and to the promise I have made to you!”

It’s kind of like Mom telling me to pick the apples.  I didn't know how to bake.  I couldn't read a recipe. Mixing, slicing, and kneading dough, were beyond my ability.  But picking apples was something I could do and when I listened to what Mom said, the reward was great!  Is it any different with our God?  He has so many wonderful things in store for us if we obey His commands.   He will never ask us to do what is impossible for us but He will never do for us what we are capable of doing ourselves.  Do you hear God telling you to pick apples today?  If so, pick them and leave the rest to Him.  You won’t be disappointed!