Jacqueline Kulp: February 2014

It is an ugly thing experiencing firsthand how fragile your faith is as a believer of over 35 years. When sleepless nights and fears assail you day after day, you feel worn down and impotent. When pleading and crying to God hour upon hour seems interminable and even apparently fruitless, you see the thicket but little light. Such has been the case for me, as I encountered a war in the fall of 2013. The turmoil in our church over the past several months has impacted my life like no other point in my spiritual journey.

“If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" the Prophet Jeremiah cries out to God's people. The thicket of the Jordan being heavily covered with brush was a favorite hideout for the lions who would devour unsuspecting travelers. In the fall, I learned I could barely keep up with the "footmen" and competition with horses was just out of the realm of possibilities. I was in danger of being devoured by the lion warring against my soul.

In the book of Exodus, God directs the people out of Egypt even before crossing the Red Sea the "long way" around the land of the Philistines because the people might change their minds when they saw war ." (Ex. 13:17) The implication is that even prior to being delivered fully out of the horrendous slavery in Egypt, they would "escape" by changing their minds, giving up hope and turning back to slavery in Egypt rather than trusting God to take care of them.

A clear parallel in the Bible with "the world" is Egypt and in Revelation, "Babylon". Jesus calls out to His people in Revelation 18:4 to "come out of her". "Her" is that idolatrous worldly system tempting us to escape the ravages and turmoil of war by returning to enslavement. As we choose to succumb to her tempting call, we prostitute ourselves before our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus. Self reliance, self promotion, self defense, self pity, self seeking pleasures, self aggrandizement through approval of others are but a few of the worldly intoxicating beverages of choice to dull the aching pain of brokenness. "Egypt", "Babylon" or "the World" is within sight and continually beckoning to each of us, both young and old as we personally encounter the heavenly battle being waged around us.

BUT, were it not for our merciful High Priest Jesus, who sympathizes with us in our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) and who powerfully cries out, "Come out of her My people", we would be lost! Last week a good friend shared a powerful image of a huge, awesome circle in front of our face ... Jesus. All around that circle are teeny, tiny small circles of the problems we face daily. The reality is that they always remain teeny and tiny no matter how large they appear in our minds. And, as we ask Jesus to personally go for us to help out each of those miniscule circles which have overpowered our hearts and minds in scope and size, He then does the impossible and stills the agitated waters of our heart ("Peace be still"), gives us rest ("For we who have believed enter that rest") and leads us out of the slavery of Egypt ("and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness") into the Promised Land. Praise Be to our Great God who gives us the Victory over the war!