Ever had your back to the wall?
I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base, TX for Air Force Officer's Training School (OTS) in February of 1985, leaving behind a wife, a handicapped daughter and a son just two weeks old. Things were on their way up. The meager pay of an enlisted man would soon be a thing of the past. Twelve weeks to graduation. Just three months to those gold bars that meant I outranked 85% of the entire Air Force. In retrospect, I should not have played 13 games of tennis the day before with my brother-in-law. Without knowing it, I had done some damage to my back that was quickly discovered when I was unable to do the 46 sit-ups in two minutes which I had done the day before. I couldn't do a single one.
The doctor put me on a PT waiver - no physical training for 6 weeks. Given that the first physical fitness test was 8 weeks away, I wasn't happy to be taking it easy. It seemed my fate had been sealed by circumstances which were now beyond my control. So much for the pay raise. So much for the financial security I had worked to get in the palm of my hands. God had paved the way to get me to OTS. Now, He had hung me out to dry.
Ever had your back to the wall? Been hemmed in by circumstances or consequences? We all get there at some point. Or at multiple points along life's way. It's not an easy feeling. Finances can put your back to the wall. Relationships gone south can do it. Making decisions that no one can reverse can put you there in a hurry. When your back is to the wall, do you remember there is an all powerful, ever gracious God who is rich in mercy and slow to anger?
Moses and the people of Israel felt much the same way after they left Egypt. In the tenth and final plague, the Death Angel of God came over Egypt in the night and the firstborn son of every family lost his life. Even the livestock suffered the same fate. Pharaoh's own son died. As the Egyptians woke up to death everywhere, Pharoah hurriedly sent for Moses and commanded that he and the Israelites leave at once! They thought their ship had finally sailed. But within 24 hours, the tables had turned. Looking over their shoulders they saw "all the kings horses and all the kings men (Ex 14:9)." And they weren't coming to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. The Israelites cried and complained, thinking God had hung them out to dry. As they second guessed God, Moses said to them:
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 14:13-14, NLT)
When the scene unfolded, the Israelites were safely across the Red Sea and the Egyptian army had been swallowed by a wall of water. They never saw the Egyptians again. First, the Death Angel "passed over" all the Israelite homes, sparing them by the blood of the Sacrificial Lamb. Now, the Israelites themselves had passed over the Red Sea to their final deliverance from Egypt's bondage. The enemy was defeated. And so goes the very first Passover.
Life's Egyptians come in many disguises - lost jobs, broken homes, failed health, habits, addictions -- you name it. But the abiding truth from the first Passover until the one celebrated by Jews around the world today is this: God delivers! Our Savior has defeated life's enemy. He has conquered death. He arose victorious over every sin or condition that keeps us from being what God created us to be.
Whatever has backed you up against the wall today can be conquered through Christ. The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
I graduated just 2 miles short of being a Distinguished Graduate. Surely I would have been able to run those 2 extra miles during the six weeks I was medically sidelined. But I gained something more lasting than DG status. To this day, one of my favorite photos ever taken was taken with the gates of OTS in the rearview mirror of my '65 Mustang. I gained a new perspective looking back over my Red Sea after I had passed over. You can, too.
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