“But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t’ be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’” (Exodus 14:13 NLT)
In C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, Narnia is a magical land where the animals can speak, and the king is a lion named Aslan. His stories are analogies of what we experience in our walk with the Lord Jesus, who, in Revelation 5:5 is referred to as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne.”
In one of his stories, Lucy, asks the king: “’Aslan, have you gotten bigger?’ To which Aslan replies, ‘Oh, no my child, you have. And the more you grow, the bigger I will seem.’” There’s a very real sense in which if we’re not growing bigger in our view of God, we’re dying.
And the irony is, if we’ll let it, our view of God will greatly expand when we’re going through difficult times. God had never seemed bigger, and I never seemed smaller than when I went through my divorce. On some levels it reminds me of what the Israelites must have felt as they stood between a flowing sea and the powerful Egyptian army.
The old adage “being between a rock and a hard place” may well describe what you’re feeling in this season of your life. The Christmas season can squeeze the life out of us when we least expect it. When the need for extra cash for gifts and other expenses rises, it seems there are always other unexpected needs that beg for that same cash.
Ron Hutchcraft wrote: “It’s God’s plan to grow your view of Him through challenges that are bigger than your resources but not bigger than His. He may be putting you through something that’s stretching your faith, but it’s all part of the plan to give you a front row seat to witness the greatness of your God, to blow the lid off your relationship with Him, and to teach you the unshakeable peace of being able to say, ‘God’s God and I’m not.'”
When my son had leukemia, I was pastoring a small church and driving a school bus to try to make ends meet. The hospital bills grew exponentially into the thousands, and I didn’t have the income to keep up. One of the doctors my son was seeing took me aside after a visit and ask me: “Do you think you could come up with $500?” That was still a lot of money to me, but by God’s grace I was able to pay it.
Perhaps money isn’t the issue for you this year. Maybe you’re seeking to survive this “jolly” season with a broken heart because of the empty chair that was at your Christmas dinner table due to a loved one who passed. Satan will try to use your grief to shadow the bigness of your Father in heaven, robbing you of a miracle of His presence with you.
Many of my relatives have passed, most recently my precious sister, but the confidence I have to know she’s with Jesus brings me comfort as I seek to focus on the King of kings whose birth we celebrate. Whatever you’re experiencing in this sacred season, trust your faithful Father to do for you what only He can do. Allow your view of Him to grow through your pain, rather than allowing your pain to hide His holy face.
If you know Jesus as your Savior, there’s nothing that can keep Him from opening the “waters” of your circumstances and showing you a clear, dry path upon which to walk. All you have to do is to follow Him.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 