Thursday, March 31, 2005
Lots and lots of marble steps - that's one thing I remember from our family trip to Washington D.C. when the kids were little. In fact, our youngest was about two years old the first time we went there. In fact, he told me at that time that he was very interested in seeing the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government firsthand. Oh, but those steps! Have you ever been to the U.S. Capitol building or the Lincoln Memorial? You may remember feeling new feelings in your legs by the time you reached the top. Imagine our little guy. He looked up at those stairs and he knew there was no way with those short little legs. So was he stuck at the bottom with no hope of reaching the top of the steps? Hey, wait a minute. That's not true. He had me! And I had one of those child carriers on my back which he got in. And he made it where he never could have gone himself, because someone bigger carried him.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When it's Too High to Climb."
Maybe you're looking at a pretty daunting climb right now. You've got something ahead of you that looks very big and your legs just aren't long enough and strong enough to climb this one. Hey, good news! Someone bigger wants to carry you.
Our word for today from the Word of God, Isaiah chapter 43 begins at verse 16. Before God gives you some great hope news though, He reminds you who is backing you up. This is what the Lord says. "He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick." With the Red Sea behind them and the mighty Egyptian Army in front of them, God's ancient people must have thought, "No way." But when we say, "No way," God says, "Way!" He parted the Red Sea. He snuffed out the mightiest army on earth like we would blow out a candle. Implied question, "Do you think He can handle the thing that threatens to overwhelm you then?"
God's instructions: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" The God who brought you through all the oceans and all the armies of the past is promising to carry you into this next exciting episode - His new thing.
In case you're wondering about a way through the wilderness ahead, He says, "I am making a way in the desert." If you're wondering about the resources you're going to need but you don't have, He says, "I will make streams in the wasteland." Or, like a two-year-old facing steps that he couldn't possibly climb, your way-making Father wants to carry you where you could never go yourself.
The steps may look insurmountable right now. You may be saying, "Yeah, but there's no job, there's no money, no mate, no way." Or you may be looking up at a huge medical challenge or emotional challenge. There may be some fearful possibilities out there or a situation that will demand answers or resources that you just don't have.
Welcome to the "Carry me, Daddy" Zone. God wants to rewrite your definition of the word impossible. Listen to His promise earlier in Isaiah 43 (verses 1-3), "Fear not for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior."
No, your legs won't make it. Those steps are just too high for you to climb, and your Father knows it. Oh, but you will make it to the top - not on your legs, but in your Father's arms.