Immediately when we come out of Egypt, Amalek (who represents the flesh) will come against us and will attack us at our weakest point in an effort to keep us from Canaan. --Dr. Adrian RogersTraveling 62 miles a day to a job 5 days a week has its challenges. Within 3 weeks of my first day on the job in 2005, I did the "Tennessee Waltz" on an icy bridge & totaled my 2003 Saturn. So, I ended up getting a pre-owned 2003 Saturn ION & adding another year or two to my car payments.
Just about 2 months ago that ION was paid off & shortly after that, I ran over a coon that knocked out an air vent under the grille (a cosmetic loss). This was the 2nd time I had hit a coon that did the same damage. I had also hit a deer less than a year prior to this which did over $4,000 damage to the car & the insurance company wanted to total the vehicle. But I did prevail & was happy to still be driving a good looking, superior-running vehicle that was totally paid for.
That's when I ran into a bridge going to work. At 4:45am. After light rain had wet the road just enough to slicken it down. And it was just because I was going through my mental checklist as I was headed to work. There was a thunderstorm nearby & winds were whipping the trees around. The road I travel has had its share of downed trees since it follows a creek between some steep hillsides where trees can grow sideways. Just 4 days earlier I had driven through the top of a tree that was lying across the road as I came home one night. I didn't see the tree as I rounded the curve & the headlights from the car in the oncoming lane kept me from noticing the obstruction in the roadway.
So, as I'm mulling through the morning's duties as I drive down this creekside road, I'm also looking for more possible downed trees. What I didn't do was anticipate the sharp turn in the road soon enough. So when I hit the brakes, the rain-slickened road didn't cooperate & I slid right into the guard rail of the bridge on the curve. That shattered the lens & knocked out the turn signal on my car's driver's side & busted the fiberglass fender. It also put a little bump in the hood & popped out the fender on the driver's side.
This all happened just 2 days after talking to some folks who will one day become my new employers & deliver me from the bondage of a job I've labored in for over 5 years with a trickle of money so show for my work. And all I could think of as I stood on the dark roadway in the rain inspecting the damage was this was all I needed to start my day after having such a feeling of relief of what is on my horizon.
I got back in & continued the remaining 29 miles to work & stewed over how I was going to be able to shell out the cash for this on a car that I love to drive, that is paid for, that runs like a top, but that the insurance company will view as a used paper cup. I'm brewing on how little money I do have, how little money I make, & how much my bills are. I am just a few miles from Canaan (my victory) having just been delivered from Egypt (my enslavement) & now I'm stuck in the wilderness.
It is difficult to see a victory in this case because the wilderness can be so thick. And I am close enough to Egypt that I'm tempted to just go back & continue in my bondage rather than stick it out through the wilderness & keep my focus on Canaan. It is because I don't know what lies ahead but I do know what has been behind. Just last week, I led a Bible study for some county inmates & told them that we cannot experience victory unless we've had a conflict.
And right now the conflict comes in the form of doubt & discouragement because I can feel the breath of Amalek on my collar. Do I just turn around & go back to Egypt? Do I sit down & remain stuck in the wilderness? Or do I press ahead through the tangled mess in the wilderness & use the "rod" (similar to what Moses did in the wilderness), which is the Word of God, & keep walking toward Canaan? Moses couldn't do it by himself. He had to depend on Aaron (who represents prayer) & Hur (who represents purity) to hold up his arms in battle.
I definitely need a victory & this perpetual pursuit by my flesh can either hold me back or help me savor that victory when I cross into Canaan. The only way to achieve this is to give the battle to the Lord & keep walking through the wilderness.
