Weekly Words

You Can’t Get Extraordinary Without Ordinary

“Let go and let God” is one of the most deceptive clichés in Christians’ vocabulary. We hear it all the time, we say it all the time, but living it can be to our danger and our detriment. There is a story in the Bible where Moses attempted to let go and let God and you may be amazed at what happens: God won’t have it!

We have all heard the story of the parting of the Red Sea. However, few of us talk about the conflict between Moses and God right before the miracle. In the 14th chapter of Exodus the story of Moses’ liberation of the Israelites picks up right after they have escaped from Egypt. As Pharaoh’s army gets near, the Israelites are stuck with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. At this point, they turn on Moses and begin questioning his leadership and his entire attempt at liberating them in the first place. Then Moses, in an attempt to encourage and quiet the people says, “Do not be afraid, stand firm and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today … The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still (Exodus 14:13-14 NRSV).” It looks like Moses is definitely trying to let go and let God.

The problem is that God interrupts Moses and says this, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. That the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground (Exodus 14:15-16 NRSV).” WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!! Moses has told the Israelites to stand still and be still and God will act, but God says Moses needs to act and the Israelites need to keep moving. God will not allow them to let go and let God.

So many of us are between rocks and hard places in our lives and it would be so easy to be still and stand still and wait on God to fight for us. We are waiting on a miraculous move and an extraordinary breakthrough, but God may be looking at us and telling us to “lift up our staff, and stretch out our hand.” Moses was trying to pass the buck when right there with his hand and with what was in his hand, he had what he needed to initiate a miracle. The extraordinary event of the splitting of the Red Sea happened through the lifting of an ordinary staff and the stretching of an ordinary hand. The truth is you cannot get extraordinary without ordinary. God has given you an ordinary mind, an ordinary talent, ordinary hands that if you would just use them will yield extraordinary results. So, don’t ask for God’s EXTRA, if you have not used your Ordinary.

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson