The Wilderness Way #20

The wilderness way must be constantly nourished and fed by the leadership of the living Lord. Attentiveness to God’s design and desires is always central but even more so in the face of an uncertain future. Such attentiveness is nourished by heightened worship and spiritual connectedness to God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Once again the biblical story of Exodus is instructive. Pursued by the Egyptians, God miraculously delivers the people from Pharaoh’s army in the crossing of the sea. The Bible records that “Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord.”[1] The fifteenth chapter of Exodus records the song of Moses and the Israelites as well as the song of Miriam. Both are songs of worship and praise in the triumph of God. “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has through into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation.” With tambourine and dance, Miriam and the women echo the exultant praise of God. This is the ethos - the mood, the spirit - with which they enter the wilderness.

They would teach us that we too must travel in the wilderness with exultant worship. Consider where they are. They have escaped Pharaoh’s army but are not in the holy land. While the victory is miraculous and joyous, they are now in the desolation of the wilderness. The first order of business is not packing possessions. It is not about selecting leaders or revising the structure. The first order of business is about worshipping God and acknowledging the leadership of the Lord. It is so tempting in our own wilderness to restructure, hoard resources or argue about leadership. The biblical story reminds us that the first order of business is exultant, joyous worship that acknowledges God alone as Lord and ruler of our lives.

What follows in the tale of the exodus adds critical and yet similar insight to our situation in the early part of the 21^st century. Three days into the journey they found themselves crying out for water. “And the people cried out against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.”[2]

Three days into the journey they are complaining! It is reminiscent of a child on a trip asking before you have even left the city limits if they are at journey’s end! Provisioning comes from the Lord. Over and over again this lesson has to be learned. God truly does provide and provision. Like our Israelite ancestors of old, we learn and relearn and learn again to truly trust God. The church will get smaller before it gets larger. We will lose those who have only signed on for the easy walk. The wilderness way challenges us with the tough unknown. But, the even greater challenge is that we are called to rely upon God in ways we have not often had to do. It is worth wondering: have we seen so few miracles because we have had so little need? The provisioning from God does not come at our beck. The Lord’s provisioning is even present in our time of genuine reliance upon God.

After the miracle of the sweet water, a strange thing happens. The second part of the story continues: “There the Lord made for them a statute and ordinance.”[3] Pause and reflect on the importance of that statement. It does not say that they made rules and laws. At the start of the wilderness journey God claimed their allegiance. The application applies to us as well, no longer is casual allegiance to God sufficient.

This test and benefit is now visited upon us. The day of casually being Christian is over (or rapidly fading in those regions that still cling to waning vestiges of Christendom). It is a test because now we are challenged by our very culture on the most basic issue of belief. Do we place our ultimate and primary allegiance in God? The wilderness journey is marked in Exodus by exuberant joy-filled worship. Regular worship is the first and most basic response of a Christian. The test is basic; it is concrete. Do we regularly, devoutly and exuberantly, expectantly and reverently worship God? Worship is no longer a causal part of the Sunday schedule. It is a primary test of commitment and allegiance. In worship we are not only spiritually fed. In worship we also make (and renew) a primary pledge of allegiance. The commandment to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”[4] has not been repealed.

[1] Exodus 15:1

[2] Exodus 15:24-25

[3] Exodus 15:25

[4] Exodus 20:8

By: Bishop Mike Lowry On 9/4/2009

Topics: Bishop Columns