Grab Whatever You Can!

I

t was the middle of the night and young Benjamin was sleepy.  He could hardly hold his eyes open.  He tried to concentrate on all the activities of the day but it was no use; his eyes simply would not cooperate.  His parents, however, refused to let him go to bed, refused to let him even lie down for a brief nap.  His mother had told him to remain dressed and to keep his shoes on because at some point during the evening, they would start on a long trip.

Benjamin had never been on a vacation, but if being deprived of sleep was the way they started, he wanted no part of one.  Suddenly, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching his front door.  Everyone in the house grew quiet, all conversation ceased, and the air became very tense and heavy.  The door flew open with a crash that sent his little stomach straight up into his throat.  Outside, his neighbors were frantically packing their belongings, placing them wherever they could find room.  It appeared that the time for the vacation to start had arrived, but Benjamin hadn't pictured it like this and he had no idea so many others were going with him.

The person responsible for knocking down his door was a soldier.  He angrily ordered everyone to get out within 10 minutes because they were leaving.  Now Benjamin was certain that the time to leave had come.  His mother looked at him with wide eyes and said, "Grab whatever you can, and hurry!"  Benjamin obeyed, grabbing a sack full of raisins, his favorite snack, and a stuffed toy he liked to sleep with.  They joined the others in the street and the throng began moving quickly towards the outskirts of the settlement.  His mother held his hand tightly so they wouldn't be separated in the crowd.  She hadn't had time to grab some of the most important things in the household.  All she had taken was a few clothes and a large mixing bowl of bread dough.  "What an odd combination," Benjamin thought, "but at least she will look nice and we can eat!"

Although Benjamin and his family are not real people, the event portrayed here is!  The Hebrew Exodus from Egypt stands as one of the most miraculous events in Jewish history.  After 430 years, God brought forth his people in a mighty way, using miraculous signs and wonders to display his power and his love for them.  On the night before their departure, the children of Israel had been told to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.  They were to eat their final meal fully dressed, ready to leave as soon as the word was given (Exodus 12:10).

Our scripture verse today speaks about God's provision for his children.  Exodus 12:39 says, "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves."  When God was ready to move his children out of Egypt, he did so with haste.  Although they knew they were leaving, they didn't know exactly when.  At the last minute, they had to grab whatever was available and leave Egypt.

Sometimes as Christians, this is exactly how we feel.  God calls us suddenly to change directions, to change locations, or to change our area of service.  The call comes so quickly, or an event happens so suddenly, we barely have time to get our thoughts or any provisions together.  We feel hurried, bustled, and the unfolding events are not as we envisioned them to be.  Like Benjamin who didn't like vacations because they deprived him of sleep, we are hesitant to follow God because we are unsure of the immediate circumstances.  But dear Christian, grab what you can, pack your bags, and go!!  The destination God has chosen for you is flowing with milk and honey. 

In the desert, God was their provision.  It was he who gave manna and quail daily and provided water for them to drink.  It was God who kept them from being sick and who didn't let the soles of their sandals wear thin, even when they insisted on wandering in the desert for 40 years.  It was never God's design for his children to provide for themselves; instead, he wanted to do it for them all along.

So, if God is pushing you into a new area of service and you are concerned about having shelter, food, clothing, employment, etc.  Remember the children of Israel on the desert floor.  Each morning they walked out and picked up bread, and each evening they ate quail.  They had water to drink, and they had shelter.  Jesus himself said that the birds of the air don't work or store provisions but God still feeds them.  How much more will he provide for us!  Take Benjamin's mother's advice when God begins to move you and "Grab whatever you can!"  It's time to move on!!

Going Solo

T

here are several rites of passage for children.  Parents take great notice of these events and know exactly when each occurred.  Some of these rites include, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, and my favorite, talking.  Then there is the graduation from diapers to training pants, from baby food to table food, and the list goes on from there.  However, one of the biggies, one of the crucial rites of passage from a “little person” to becoming a “big boy or girl” comes with the arrival of the first bicycle.  This crucial stage of development heralds the growing desire for independence and self-sufficiency.

I remember my first bike.  It was a beauty!  It was wine in color with large sloping handlebars and a silver saddle.  It came equipped with all the standard equipment, a chain, two tires, brakes, reflectors, a seat, handlebars, and, of course, training wheels.  I couldn’t wait for sunrise so I could get outside and learn to ride that bike.  My mother promised she would go with me and help me and after breakfast, she and I went outside with the bike, determined that I would learn how to ride that very morning.

Actually, I was much more optimistic than mom.  I felt sure that I’d be riding within a matter of minutes and that we would be able to remove the training wheels by sundown.  You’ve heard of being just a little over zealous?  Well, that is exactly what I was.  It didn’t take long for me to learn that learning to ride a bike required more than I initially bargained for.  My mom was very patient, understanding, and a great encourager.  She let me go at my own pace but always kept her hand on my back, assuring me she was there when I needed her and that I didn’t have to do this alone.

After I became comfortable with my bike, I asked my dad to remove the training wheels.  Once again, I found myself needing help from my parents.  Gaining my balance wasn’t that easy and I was very afraid of falling down.  Both my parents encouraged me to keep trying.  Even now, I can still feel my mom and dad’s hands at my back, assuring me I wasn’t alone and that I would be able to learn to ride by myself.  I learned more than riding a bike from them, I learned to depend on them, on their ability to care for me and to support me whenever I fell down.

Learning to ride a bike is easy compared to the other lessons we learn in life.  The bumps and bruises resulting from falling off a bike pale in comparison to the bumps, scratches, knocks, and down right wounds that life throws our way sometimes.  As children, we are forever trying to gain our independence, to spread our wings, and to fly on our own.  As adults, however, we look for relationships, someone to cling to and someone we can depend on.  Funny, isn’t it?  If life teaches us anything it is that we must learn to depend on people rather than being independent from them.

This is a hard lesson to learn spiritually as well.  From the beginning, God intended for mankind to depend on him.  He placed Adam and Eve in the garden to dress it and look after it.  But God provided all they needed.  However, when they decided to eat of the forbidden fruit and exert their own independence, that’s when all the problems started.  Throughout both the Old and the New Testaments, we see time and time again how man chose to be independent from God rather than dependent on him.  And repeatedly, the story is the same.  Man makes a mess and God has to clean it up.

Would it surprise you to discover that dependence is actually the biblical model for our relationship with God?  Would it surprise you even more to know that Jesus spoke directly of his dependence on God, admitting that independence from God cuts across the grain of what we were meant to be?  Look at Jesus words in John 5:19, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  Here, Jesus states very plainly that by himself he can do nothing; He can only do what he sees his Father doing.  Jesus is totally dependent on God for everything. Now I ask you, if Jesus Christ states that he can do nothing without God, what excuse do we have when we attempt to go solo in every circumstance?  We can’t do it and we were never meant to!  That’s why Jesus says further on in John’s gospel that we are also dependent upon him. 

In John 15:5, Jesus makes the following observation, “apart from me you can do nothing.”  This is not only a statement of fact, I believe, it is a promise.  Essentially, Jesus promises that unless we become dependent on him, we can do nothing at all.  Everything we do will fail if we neglect to lean heavily on God and cast all our cares on His shoulders. 

On that Christmas morning, taking my bike out all alone was not an option.  I couldn’t handle it by myself and my mom never intended me to.  She stood beside me all the way, coaching me, holding me, encouraging me, and catching me, throughout the whole process.  Without her help, I could never have managed that bike on my own.  This is what God wants to do for you today.  He is there right beside you, coaching you, encouraging you, and catching in every circumstance of life.  Won’t you lean on him today?