Apise
Purana Bazar, Dimapur
Everybody has a fear which is a part of our human emotion. Every person has his or her own fear, the young and old irrespective of all age and gender. As we walk our life’s path this year, how do we walk in faith? Many parents have legitimate concern for their family and children. Many young people, who are studying and unemployed youth are facing some of the depressing situation. As long as we live and walk we will face many unpleasant situations in our life. This year as we take our walk, how do we plan to walk? Straight or uneven it all depends on our perspective. Our mind is one of the powerful organs that can be either direction for our good or for worst. If we see only fear as our focal point, what we visualize or internalize we absorb and reflect it outward. So how do we prepare our mind in to best possible way to live a balance Christian life in God’s given space and time for us?
I want to draw us to four ‘Looking’ perspectives!
I. Looking Back!
The Bible says in Exodus 14:10 “The children of Israel lifted their eyes and behold the Egyptians marched after them.” The Bible says when they turned their eyes on their back, right or left side they saw clouds of dust who were powerful army behind them, who were trained to face their enemies fiercely. However the people of Israel saw the great deliverance and witnessed ten plagues sent from heaven against Egyptian. They were the witness in Egypt about the great God who was actively working in their midst. When they look back instead of walking ahead, they saw people who have been their cruel master back then.
Many people today desire to see only the bigger actions of life. We grumble that we are too weak to walk ahead; we are unable to walk because we are handicapped; or complain that we are not like them. Many young brothers and sisters are walking in their own low self as been condemned by the devil inside their own mind. This New Year must be a year that we walk further not in the same pace like last previous years. Many families are willing to see and observe only the powerful and affluence of the society and belittle themselves thinking how small they are, pitying over and many other silly excuses. Fear wake us up or push us down low. Reaffirming yesterday’s time is never a loss of time if it’s for our learning today. Being human it is certain we will encounter fear but let us be reminded that the One who is within us is greater than the one who is against us. When we remember what God did in our past it will give us confidence for us to walk, with our head held high today.
The consequences of looking at our own direction without listening to God’s direction are always filled with terrible fear. Fear paralyzes even the healthy men and women, make active into passive and shifts our focus. Fear may exist but when we walk in God’s divine shadow then we experience the great difference of being with and without God. Many people see only Egyptian Army not God’s army that is greater than any army in the world. In I Samuel 17 reading, Israel armies were threatened just by one giant and the whole army was psychologically defeated even before one shot of an arrow.
II. Looking Confused!
"Then they said to Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt …” (NKJV. Exodus 14 :11- 12).Israel people begin to take hold of their legitimate right which was appropriate thing for them to do at that moment. But the question of legitimacy doesn’t all the time proof beneficial for collective good. Israelite people’s scrutiny may be reasonable but they failed to look beyond. We ought to choose the best in the midst of plenty options. If we are always falling into the same pit again and again we are not liberated people. If we have lots of whys, lots of questions like the Israelite did, aren’t we expressing we are not matured enough. Instead of questioning for everything and question God’s wisdom it is far better to trust and obey. Job had lots of questions but the story concludes and he finally said “I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42: 6). As someone said, “God is God and we are not.” What are the questions that you think are legitimate in your life today?. Let us wait for Him who knows us wholly and fully well. A little more patience today will make our feet stronger to walk further. As Moses was questioned by Israelites, today many people are unthinkably hasty to question God’s leadership? Asking and questioning is different, it is better to ask his will than question why he does the things he is doing. God might be leading us in the business of liberating us in harder ways and if we question his wisdom, we may shatter God’s good plan for us and bring our own downfall. We better listen to him. Confused people will always have confusion as their conclusion and it will even pollute the mind of their neighbor too.
III. Looking Attentively!
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still” (Exodus 14: 13). In the midst of our entire jumpy situation we have to ‘stand still’ and not rush here and there like the restless wave. Being attentive is one of the best solutions for us to see a path when there seem to be no exit. There is a path when all hope is gone from the human mathematical calculation. We should allow God to do his will in us. God cannot enter into a person’s life when he or she is full of himself or herself. Moses stood and shouted authoritatively but used the words of encouragement to people. These prophetic words need to herald and echo in the hills of Naga and North East States of India too. “Do not be afraid, Standstill, and see the salvation of the Lord.” Halting is never late in our time rather it is time to refresh our hectic and hasty generation.
Today’s WhatsApp and facebook generation need to heed God’s voice. Today if you see insufficiency in your personal aspects, focus on God who is actively intervening in every spheres of life. Many young people are so attentive to their own peers and friends’ advice and suggestions but rarely to elders and to God. They embrace and welcome it as one of the best in the world but often do not realize it is one of the Pandora box later. Many young people in our Naga context assume their parents and elders as less knowledgeable especially in their teens and later discover that parents know much more than them. Attentive listening helps us to discern the way out. Though situations seems impossible one thing we have and can do is trust God. “But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength”.( Isaiah 40: 31). Isaiah 64: 4 tell about God as one “Who acts for those who waits for him”
Leadership in any context needs to wait upon God and thus see his hands moving in our affair because he is interested even in our smallest matter. Church Leadership in Nagaland also must listen to God in such hour as this when young and old are seeking God’s will desperately but many churches are run by Deacon Board and committees. All schedules need disciplined planning but events calendar of churches are leading many churches. Have we pushed out God’s spirit from our churches? In every new incoming month, do we look up only to events calendar? No doubt we need various committees but the greatest necessity of the church is the leading of God’s Spirit. If churches are run by the elite and retired Naga government officials there are possibilities that churches will become institutions not family. Sadly Naga churches are not as it should be because many confused esteem Board and Committee are taking decision of the church affairs. Let us look up to God and lead the church of God.
Naga people are in need of shepherd that can lead the church and say this is the way to walk upon. Confused people will scatter anywhere in the wilderness and will be a victim at the end. Moses said, “The Lord will fight for you.”(Exodus 14: 15, Deut 1 : 29-30). Any battle of life we should be willing to surrender to God. If we only know that it is the Lord battle we will not make blunder after blunder in life.
IV. Looking Upward!
And the Lord said to Moses, “why do you cry to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”(Exodus 14:15). To go forward in to the red sea is not sensibly right. It is not a marathon race rather a question of faith. Crying is not the solution but to cry out in prayer is the solution. Crying does not help us to move forward in life but it makes us unmovable.
Today when you look up, solution drop down! When you look down, problems grow up. We better look up, walk up and live up not look down, walk down and live down.
Moses obeyed and his mere rod that he has been using for many years as shepherd which did not perform miracles in the past but this time God ask him to raise his rod, a mere rod. He strikes and the sea open the way, the natural become supernatural. Let us also look upon God for his intervention not for performance or for entertainments purpose but to glorify God. God has his solution for us in our context as well in any part of this whole wide world. We are called to raise our staff in God’s name. There are more than 7000 promises in God’s word. When we log in to the Word of God in our life there is victory in his name. Let us live and act out, by raising God’s Word above that have been trampled down in our society.
The word “obedient” does not have any alternative meaning or option when God command us to do unnatural thing. Let us obey fully so that God can erase fully ‘IM’ from the word ‘impossible’ to make it possible for us in our impossible situation this year.
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind.”( II Tim 1: 7)
Any situation in our life may threaten us with fear and shake our faith yet it does not end there. Best part of life sprout from those offshoots. Better days are coming on our path though situation seems so grim and bleak. We better be still by looking upward for him to intervene.
If we fear to go ahead, what we fear will consume us. Israelite feared to die in the wilderness so after 40 years all of them who were above 20 years died in the wilderness without proper burial (Numbers 14: 29-30). There may be sea on our path but there will be a boat somewhere to take us on the other side of the shore. Let us not stare at the big sea and its tempest but let us look up to God who made that sea. May God usher us in the path of hope in this world filled with uncertainties. Fear or Hope! The choice is yours!
