1994. 21 years ago. Some of you may remember that year or years around that year. Some of you were not even born yet. Some of us were graduating from High School that year. In fact, that was the year I graduated from High School.
1994 was the year that Tonya Harding, (remember her?) won the national figure skating championship only to have her title stripped after her alleged involvement with an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. O.J Simpson flees police in his white ford bronco – be honest now.. I’m sure you remember watching that live on the news.. Nelson Mandela becomes president of South Africa, the first genetically engineered tomatoes become available and Brazil wins the world cup in the United States. We watched Lisa Marie Presley marry Michael Jackson and we grieved as the musician Curt Cobain commits suicide.
The big movies that year were; Dumb and Dumber, Forest Gump, The Lion King, True Lies, and Star Trek; Generations.. (among others). The number 1 song in 1994 was “the Sign” by ace of base. And the Pretenders came out with the song, “I’ll Stand by You” I’ll stand by you is a song about a person vowing faithfulness to another who is in their darkest hour. With words like come on, come to me and when we’re standing at the cross roads and don’t know which path to choose, let me come along. I’ll stand by you, won’t let nobody hurt you.. I’ll stand by you.
Perhaps you’re familiar with this song. Let’s listen to a bit of it now..
Play YouTube Video – I’ll Stand by You.
During the month of August, we are looking at what the Psalms tells us about the character of God. The whole Bible tells us so much about the character of God, His never changing character. His ever-lasting love character, his character of forgiveness and grace. His faithfulness to his people whether we realize or feel it or even want it.
The Israelites were a people that experienced over and over again the faithfulness of God. They commit to God, they sin, they fall away, God rescues them and reminds them of his love, they commit again, sin again, fall away again, God rescues them… again.. and the cycle goes on and on. God is faithfully patient with his people. In our passage from today in Exodus chapter 14, the Israelites have just been released from slavery. Pharaoh worked them hard and the life of a slave was difficult to say the least. Moses really had no idea what he was getting into when he answered, (rather reluctantly) God’s call on his life to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But Pharaoh finally agreed to let them go and they went with Moses in the lead, full of hope and anticipation of a new, free life. Hordes of people into the wilderness, following Moses to the Promised Land. I imagine that they are feeling hopeful and excited for the first time in a long time. That is until they see an Ocean of water in front of them and the fierce army of Pharaoh behind them indicating that Pharaoh had changed his mind and wanted his slaves back.
They literally are being hedged in.. with nowhere to turn. They move forward and they die. They stay where they are and the army gets them. They certainly can’t turn around and go back or they become slaves again. The anger and the frustration sets in as it often does when one feels hopeless and out of control of the situation they are in.
I’m pretty sure we all have been there. Our back against a wall and it’s just not looking like any outcome will be good. No matter what we do, or where we move or what we decide – we feel like we are losing the battle set before us.
The bills are totaling more than we are bringing in and we stare at the checkbook wondering how this works out, worrying about our kids and the future and whether we can buy groceries this week or pay the electric bill and we feel hopeless.
Our job is hard and the people are difficult and we pray and pray it gets better but honestly it just feels hopeless.
Our kids are struggling – school is hard and they aren’t fitting in, their health struggles are more then we can bare, as they get older they make poor decisions and it becomes harder to even talk to them, we worry about them and how we are going to get through this difficult time and it all feels so hopeless.
We look at the world, the headlines are discouraging, the violence is all around us, the poverty, the homelessness, the war – it’s scary and we come away from watching the news and we feel hopeless for the future.
There are medical diagnosis’, marital struggles, the hopelessness of infertility, depression, anxiety, children that become distant, caring for family members, accusations and circumstances that are just unfair and all of it feels so hopeless.
And I imagine that at this point as the Israelites stood at the edge of the water with the army of Egyptians behind them – they were very much in the depth of Hopelessness.
I heard of the hopeless that Bob and his wife felt, as they shared their story with us as we were in Union Beach. We listened as they talked about sitting together in the apartment over their garage as they watched the waters run through their house, getting higher and higher until the garage under them was swept away and the apartment they were in came down. They talk about how cold the water was, about all the debris that swarmed around them. How dark it was as they fought to stay afloat in water that reached two stories up. They work hard at trying to keep one another from going under while watching their puppy float away in the opposite direction. They are finally able to grab a hold of a second story deck on someone’s house, knocking on their window they are taken inside out of the water. In shock, cold, exhausted they collapse inside. Hours later, as the water begin to recede, they see outside their puppy sitting on some debris alive. As reality begins to sink in that they have literally lost everything – every bit of furniture, every dish, every stitch of clothing, every book, every picture, every momento washed away – you can only imagine how great the hopelessness is – for them and for many others on that Island who lost everything.
But Bob and his wife would tell you otherwise. Yes, they were certainly in the throes of hopelessness. But then they met Christ. Then they were loved on by other people and invited to church and they were told of a God who loves them, who gave his life for them and they met and gave their lives over to a God who will fight for them. And now they can give testimony to the hope that arose because of the storm that day that may have taken away everything but led them to a relationship with Christ Jesus, their Savior.
In various verses in Psalm 34 David who knew what it meant to be in a situation where things seemed hopeless – reminds us of God’s faithfulness by saying this;
In verses 1- 8 – I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers him. Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Without Christ being our refuge, without God fighting for us and delivering us and sending his angels to encamp around us – things are hopeless. There are battles we cannot win if it was left to us. There are circumstances that will never change, a life that is left feeling empty and hard and without purpose. But God. But God is our hope. But God goes to battle for us and provides a hedge of protection, sustaining us and putting words of praise on our lips. But God is faithful and in the midst of those storms, God parts the waters.
The Israelites saw the glory of God as He protected them from the Egyptians. They moved towards the Sea in faith as God opened up the waters and allowed them dry land to walk across on. And then they witnessed the destruction of their enemy.
David saw the glory of God as he attests to God’s protection of him, of the way David could take refuge in God. Through the praises that were on his tongue – as God battled for him.
Daniel saw the glory of God as God battled for him and closed the mouths of the Lions.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saw the glory of God as they stood amidst the flames in a fiery furnace and came out unscathed.
Jacob saw the glory of God in the midst of wrestling as God fought for him.
Abraham and Sarah saw the glory of God as they gave birth to Isaac at such an old age.
Bob and his wife in Union Beach saw the glory of God as God battled the storm for them and gave them a new hope.
I have witnessed the homeless give glory to God as they give testimony to the faithfulness of God through many dark nights.
There are so many stories around us of people giving testimony for how God has fought for them in the midst of hopelessness. Stories of men and women giving praises to God in the midst of imprisonment, and illness and even death because they know that their hope does not lie in this mortal earth, it is not in this temporary life of pain and grief but their hope lies in the forever love of Christ Jesus, at the cross, in the grave and at the throne of God. God has gone to battle for us – not just in the midst of our own individual darkness and struggle, but God has gone to an even bigger battle against the enemy and the good news is that God has won that battle. The enemy has been overcome. Christ Jesus was victorious over sin and over death and there is no battle in our own life, no darkness too dark that God cannot and does not bring victory to.
Through God’s love, we see his faithfulness
Because of the cross we experience God’s faithfulness
Because God is faithful we can trust and in trusting we sing praises, we offer worship, we give our thanks and in all of that – the battle is won.
There will still be struggles and some of those situations may not change or end up the way we pray for it to end up, but the battle is still won. Because God is still faithful in loving us in the wilderness. Because God is still faithful is being present in the storm. Because God is… we can praise him.
I have gained much encouragement from the brave commitment to trust in God that I have seen and read about from Pastor Saeed who is currently imprisoned in Iran for being a Christian. He writes in one letter that all he has to do is deny Christ, say he does not believe in God and he’ll be released and free to go home. But he won’t do it. He continues to love God and to praise God and to trust in the work that God is doing in the midst of his imprisonment. And despite being beaten and tormented and isolated and away from his family and so unsure of the physical future, Pastor Saeed is certain of his future in Christ, certain of God’s love for him and has a tremendous understanding of God’s faithfulness. He, like David is singing God’s praises, calling out to God to hear him and allowing God to be his refuge. Let us remember to continue praying for Pastor Saeed.
I’d like to close by playing one other song for you. Come to me which is a much better theme song for our life then I’ll stand by you. It’s a song that is an invitation to always come to Jesus and a reminder of how God is faithful.
Come to me, by Bethel – on YOUTUBE video.
So come to Christ, who is indeed our everything. Who indeed loves us and is faithful and fights for us. Keep your eyes on Him and rest in his presence. He is all we need.
Amen.
Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 34:1-8, 15-22
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all. He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken. Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Old Testament Lesson: Exodus 14:5-14
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”