26. THE STRONGEST HELPERGod is our help; any other so called 'help' is a delusion and a false hope.
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Have you ever been really afraid? Not a sudden fright, like someone jumping out from behind a door, but a deep haunting fear that wouldn’t leave you alone for hours, days or weeks? In the last lesson we talked about the safety of a fence. It’s nice to have a big fence between you and a vicious dog. But imagine one day as you walk near that same barking dog you see his gate is open! Then what? Your mind begins to race; you immediately look for options to insure your safety. You look for a big stick or a heavy rock. You’ll take your shoe off and throw it if necessary! Fear makes us creative and we’ll use anything at hand! Well life has bigger problems than mean dogs. There are marriage problems, financial problems, children problems and health problems. In this lesson we will discover that God proposes one solution, and only one, to handle fear. Let's start with a story.
Every minute seemed like hours as Başak and Bilgen looked at their small precious boy lying on the hospital bed in front of them. He had been lying there for three days with tubes in his tiny arms. He was getting weaker and it was obvious that he was getting worse. The boy, Ömer, was soon to be three years old. When he was well, he had been the delight of the home. He had dark brown eyes and a curious smile. He loved old people and loved to sit with his aunts and uncles. Sitting on their laps he would sweetly say “story” and then look at them in the eye until they would melt and tell him a story.
Almost four days ago he had broken out with a terribly high fever, then there was blood in his urine. The doctors said he had an enlarged spleen and a very low red blood cell count. They tested him for many things including sickle cell anemia. He had a blood transfusion and his body didn’t receive it well. In fact something happened as a result of the transfusion something the doctors called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
The boy was now suffering terribly. His heart, kidneys and other organs were not getting the necessary oxygen they needed. In spite of everything they tried, the boy was dying. You can imagine how the parents felt as they looked down at the son they loved so much. They were emotionally wrecked.
From day one, Başak had tried everything to protect his son and ease their fears for his safety. He remembered when Ömer was first born faithfully pinning a nazar bead to his clothes. A practice that he continued for a whole year. After watching his
boy’s condition worsen, he had decided to buy a rooster and make a sacrifice. Next, he went to the grave of a known religious teacher near his home and said a special prayer asking for help. Finally, he paid a cinci hoja for a special potion that he placed beneath his son's pillow. After all of this Başak and Bilgen sat and waited. As they sat, they stared at their precious boy, and repeated through their tears,
“Allah, Allah, Allah.”
Several friends had visited and some of them pinned nazar beads on little Ömer. But nothing seemed to push away the disease. Despite everyone’s best effort two days later that special little boy died. The parents couldn’t help but ask themselves,
“What went wrong?”
Some said with sad faces and shaking their head,
“Fate. Fate.”
Ultimately, that’s what Başak and Bilgen came to believe about little Ömer, it must have been his fate. They had done everything they could and yet nothing worked. But had they really done everything? Was this really the boy’s fate? Let us consider the answer to those questions in light of a story from the prophet Moses.
Moses and the children of Abraham had escaped from Egypt and were making their way to the Red Sea. But their jubilation soon turned to panic. In front of them there was nothing but water and behind them the Pharaoh's army violently racing
towards them. They were trapped. They knew it and so did the Pharaoh. In fact, the Bible says what the Egyptians were thinking of doing in Exodus chapter 15 verse 9:
9 “The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.'”
It seems strange that the Egyptians would change their minds so quickly. But there was a lot at stake. Who would do the work of those Israelites? What would the other countries think about Egypt letting all their slaves go free? While the minds of the Egyptian army were focused on regaining what they thought was theirs, the Israelites must have started thinking about how they could protect themselves. If you remember from our last lesson, God was protecting them with a cloud and pillar of fire. But it is obvious from the Biblical account that they had their doubts about how long that would last. Moreover, they started blaming Moses in Exodus chapter 14 verses 11 and 12:
11“They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
We don't know for sure how many days had passed since they left Egypt, but with the presence of God still surrounding they started complaining. They were scared and desperately trying to find a solution their dilemma. They weren’t warriors and they knew their kitchen knives would be helpless against swords and their ox carts would become useless barricades. Their probably started thinking of the things they had learned in Egypt. Some had perhaps learned magical spells. While others may have had charms and Egyptian idols. Surely they must have thought to use these to help them out of this situation.
But there was no way out of this situation. That is, except one, the one that God would invent. God wanted them to learn to lean on Him 100% of the time. They didn't need to do anything except believe that God could and would save them. Moses reminded them of this fact in Exodus chapter 14 verse 13:
13“And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Actually there was something they needed to do. Moses told them to be silent. They were to remain silent because God was about to perform the greatest miracle since creation. The Bible describes the moment in Exodus chapter 14 verses 21 and 22:
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
All night the wild winds blew, and God parted the sea.
Imagine in the early morning light the steel blue sky and the bright white moon still shimmering on the dark sea as a million men, women, and children with their livestock and belongings began to move down into that canyon of water. They were doing something that had never been done in the history of earth: they were walking on the bottom of a sea! In an almost eerie silence Moses and others walked in awe, as if in a dream. They looked at the dark watery walls on either side of them. Children must have patted the walls, and teenagers must have thrust their hand through the wall just to feel the cold wet ocean water. Walls of natural water held up by supernatural hands. Those walls must have rose above them like a 15 story apartment building. The fire of God’s pillar was behind them giving them light, and they walked forward for several hours through the dark, cold Red Sea. God had made a way out of an impossible situation.
At that moment the people had no choice but to trust God entirely. There was nothing holding those dark powerful waters up except God’s invisible hand. Some of them walked overpowered with fear and others with faith. Regardless of their motivation, they were not ambling leisurely through the sea. They were motivated by the frightful reality that the Egyptians were right behind them! Every man, woman and child’s heart was pounding as they raced down the stony banks and through that mysterious dark water of the Red Sea. What do you think they thought when they saw the Egyptians getting closer?
After what seemed like an eternity, the he first of the fleeing people clamored up the banks of the far side of the Red Sea. Each helping push carts, and lift children. Moses urged them to keep going and make room for the 1000’s who were still coming. People streamed up, up, up out of the depths of the sea, walking on dry ground. Never to see such a sight again in their lives. Morning was just now dawning and the swirling blue and pink sky made the great escape all the more mysterious and memorable. Let's continue reading in chapter 14 verses 24-28:
24“And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians. 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
They watched in reverent awe as those great walls that had just been their passage, now slammed shut. There must have been a long moment of fearful exhilaration as people watched the tsunami force waters collide together. The roar of the waters was like low flying jets. And then suddenly there was calm, as if nothing had ever been. The morning sun rose and there was peace. In a split second the enemy they had dreaded, the thing they feared was gone forever. God in heaven had done it!
In an instant the overwhelming sense of freedom rushed over the crowd! Everyone began to sing. We can actually read what happened in chapter 15 verses 20 and 21:
20“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
Yes, God was their savior and their joy was so great they couldn't help but sing. It wasn't long before Moses himself began to sing. The lyrics of his song can be found in Exodus chapter 15 verses 2-18. But let's just focus on verses 2, 13, and 11:
2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 11 "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 13 "You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
Why did Moses ask,
“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?”
Well it certainly wasn't because Moses believed in more than one God! You see, if those Israelites had ever been tempted to believe in the Egyptian false gods they had no reason left. After what they had just experienced there was no question, the God of Heaven, alone, had power to rescue. He alone is capable of turning misfortune into celebration. Can you imagine the joy and celebration at that moment? The feelings of freedom from slavery and the elation of rescue. Not Moses, not one Israelite, had lifted a hand, or pulled a sword. God had done everything.
Moses’ words lead us to think that, before the Red Sea experience, in the minds of the Israelites there had been confusion about who God was and is. Many of the Israelites likely left Egypt with magic charms and bracelets that they had brought out of Egypt. Emblems of cats, beetles, and the all-seeing pyramid eye. Now in the context of this amazing miracle of God, they surely would have ripped those “lucky” talisman's, charms, and necklaces from their bodies and thrown them into the foaming sea. Shouts of jubilee went into the air,
“God alone, will I serve. He is powerful to protect us.”
Let's read Exodus 15:11 again:
11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
Prophet Moses’ question is a good question for us and for our generation. Today many in our country live as if there were some other ‘god’ who had power equal to or greater than the Creator of the Universe. They hang nazar beads, as if God himself were not strong enough to protect them. They seek answers from the zodiac and astrologers, as if they might actually reveal the future. They think the god of the lottery will alleviate their sorrows. They look to the god of global politics, the god of fate, the god of fortune or the god of their own cleverness to solve their problems. Many even make themselves a god through their reason and logic. Are they blind to see that only the God who parted the Red Sea can help them? God is God; any other so called 'help' is a delusion and a false hope. Only God has power over evil!
I am sure Başak and Bilgen thought they were pleasing the Lord by doing what they had seen so many others do. But let’s stop and think. Did God ever command us to do such things in the Holy Writings? Wouldn’t trusting a nazar bead really be asking protection from something other than God? Did God command the cutting of a rooster for healing or did those ideas come from somewhere else? As we continue studying the Holy Bible the answers to these questions will become clearer. But for now we need to understand that God is not manipulated by sacrifice, beads, recited sayings, or charms. He is looking for faith and trust. Is that a guarantee that God will always heal? No, there are times when He chooses not to heal or even intervene. But He knows everything and we must trust that He sees more than us; that He is always working for the long range good of all humanity. So how do we grow in faith and trust? By getting to know God better through the study of the Bible.
There was an interesting news story in Spain a few years back. There was a home for mentally retarded young men under the watchful care of a very kind hearted director. He loved the boys and men as if they were his own children. They knew this and liked to call him Big Daddy. One day the old wooden home caught on fire. In an orderly way the men and boys rushed out of the building. It wasn't long before the whole house was engulfed in flames. Once outside, the director counted his patients and realized one was missing. Just then he saw him leaning out of a second story window.
“Antoine," he called, "you must jump.”
“No Big Daddy, I am brave. See I have a fire extinguisher. I will fight the fire.” He replied.
Of course it was crazy to think that he could fight a fire of that size with a fire extinguisher. But the boy was retarded. The director pleaded,
“Antoine, come to me. Jump to my arms.”
The second floor really wasn’t that far and the boy could have easily jumped. Antoine just needed to believe Big Daddy and jump. But with the flames and smoke coming from all sides, the teen insisted on his silly plan,
“See Big Daddy, I have a fire extinguisher.”
The director and other boys watched in sadness and shock as Antoine disappeared from the window and never returned. The young man perished in the fire because he didn't trust his Big Daddy.
Let's not be like Antoine who didn't trust his caretaker. Nor like the Israelites who quickly forgot that God was protecting them and could easily give them a way of escape. Instead of relying on our own ideas and passed down traditions, let's trust the One who parted the Red Sea.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What authority does God have to tell us, “Don’t be afraid?”
2. What might have it felt like to have escaped the Egyptians through the Red Sea?
3. Why did God destroy the Egyptian army?
4. What problem do you need God to solve for you? Have you asked him in faith and trusted him to fully solve the problem?
5. Have you ever had something bad happen even though you had made all the "necessary precautions?
6. Is it possible that seeking help from sources outside of God could be an insult to Him?
7. Are you using any methods similar to Ömer’s father to fight evil? If so, ask God to forgive you for trying to accomplish His
work and trust him entirely.
Every minute seemed like hours as Başak and Bilgen looked at their small precious boy lying on the hospital bed in front of them. He had been lying there for three days with tubes in his tiny arms. He was getting weaker and it was obvious that he was getting worse. The boy, Ömer, was soon to be three years old. When he was well, he had been the delight of the home. He had dark brown eyes and a curious smile. He loved old people and loved to sit with his aunts and uncles. Sitting on their laps he would sweetly say “story” and then look at them in the eye until they would melt and tell him a story.
Almost four days ago he had broken out with a terribly high fever, then there was blood in his urine. The doctors said he had an enlarged spleen and a very low red blood cell count. They tested him for many things including sickle cell anemia. He had a blood transfusion and his body didn’t receive it well. In fact something happened as a result of the transfusion something the doctors called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
The boy was now suffering terribly. His heart, kidneys and other organs were not getting the necessary oxygen they needed. In spite of everything they tried, the boy was dying. You can imagine how the parents felt as they looked down at the son they loved so much. They were emotionally wrecked.
From day one, Başak had tried everything to protect his son and ease their fears for his safety. He remembered when Ömer was first born faithfully pinning a nazar bead to his clothes. A practice that he continued for a whole year. After watching his
boy’s condition worsen, he had decided to buy a rooster and make a sacrifice. Next, he went to the grave of a known religious teacher near his home and said a special prayer asking for help. Finally, he paid a cinci hoja for a special potion that he placed beneath his son's pillow. After all of this Başak and Bilgen sat and waited. As they sat, they stared at their precious boy, and repeated through their tears,
“Allah, Allah, Allah.”
Several friends had visited and some of them pinned nazar beads on little Ömer. But nothing seemed to push away the disease. Despite everyone’s best effort two days later that special little boy died. The parents couldn’t help but ask themselves,
“What went wrong?”
Some said with sad faces and shaking their head,
“Fate. Fate.”
Ultimately, that’s what Başak and Bilgen came to believe about little Ömer, it must have been his fate. They had done everything they could and yet nothing worked. But had they really done everything? Was this really the boy’s fate? Let us consider the answer to those questions in light of a story from the prophet Moses.
Moses and the children of Abraham had escaped from Egypt and were making their way to the Red Sea. But their jubilation soon turned to panic. In front of them there was nothing but water and behind them the Pharaoh's army violently racing
towards them. They were trapped. They knew it and so did the Pharaoh. In fact, the Bible says what the Egyptians were thinking of doing in Exodus chapter 15 verse 9:
9 “The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.'”
It seems strange that the Egyptians would change their minds so quickly. But there was a lot at stake. Who would do the work of those Israelites? What would the other countries think about Egypt letting all their slaves go free? While the minds of the Egyptian army were focused on regaining what they thought was theirs, the Israelites must have started thinking about how they could protect themselves. If you remember from our last lesson, God was protecting them with a cloud and pillar of fire. But it is obvious from the Biblical account that they had their doubts about how long that would last. Moreover, they started blaming Moses in Exodus chapter 14 verses 11 and 12:
11“They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
We don't know for sure how many days had passed since they left Egypt, but with the presence of God still surrounding they started complaining. They were scared and desperately trying to find a solution their dilemma. They weren’t warriors and they knew their kitchen knives would be helpless against swords and their ox carts would become useless barricades. Their probably started thinking of the things they had learned in Egypt. Some had perhaps learned magical spells. While others may have had charms and Egyptian idols. Surely they must have thought to use these to help them out of this situation.
But there was no way out of this situation. That is, except one, the one that God would invent. God wanted them to learn to lean on Him 100% of the time. They didn't need to do anything except believe that God could and would save them. Moses reminded them of this fact in Exodus chapter 14 verse 13:
13“And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Actually there was something they needed to do. Moses told them to be silent. They were to remain silent because God was about to perform the greatest miracle since creation. The Bible describes the moment in Exodus chapter 14 verses 21 and 22:
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
All night the wild winds blew, and God parted the sea.
Imagine in the early morning light the steel blue sky and the bright white moon still shimmering on the dark sea as a million men, women, and children with their livestock and belongings began to move down into that canyon of water. They were doing something that had never been done in the history of earth: they were walking on the bottom of a sea! In an almost eerie silence Moses and others walked in awe, as if in a dream. They looked at the dark watery walls on either side of them. Children must have patted the walls, and teenagers must have thrust their hand through the wall just to feel the cold wet ocean water. Walls of natural water held up by supernatural hands. Those walls must have rose above them like a 15 story apartment building. The fire of God’s pillar was behind them giving them light, and they walked forward for several hours through the dark, cold Red Sea. God had made a way out of an impossible situation.
At that moment the people had no choice but to trust God entirely. There was nothing holding those dark powerful waters up except God’s invisible hand. Some of them walked overpowered with fear and others with faith. Regardless of their motivation, they were not ambling leisurely through the sea. They were motivated by the frightful reality that the Egyptians were right behind them! Every man, woman and child’s heart was pounding as they raced down the stony banks and through that mysterious dark water of the Red Sea. What do you think they thought when they saw the Egyptians getting closer?
After what seemed like an eternity, the he first of the fleeing people clamored up the banks of the far side of the Red Sea. Each helping push carts, and lift children. Moses urged them to keep going and make room for the 1000’s who were still coming. People streamed up, up, up out of the depths of the sea, walking on dry ground. Never to see such a sight again in their lives. Morning was just now dawning and the swirling blue and pink sky made the great escape all the more mysterious and memorable. Let's continue reading in chapter 14 verses 24-28:
24“And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians. 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
They watched in reverent awe as those great walls that had just been their passage, now slammed shut. There must have been a long moment of fearful exhilaration as people watched the tsunami force waters collide together. The roar of the waters was like low flying jets. And then suddenly there was calm, as if nothing had ever been. The morning sun rose and there was peace. In a split second the enemy they had dreaded, the thing they feared was gone forever. God in heaven had done it!
In an instant the overwhelming sense of freedom rushed over the crowd! Everyone began to sing. We can actually read what happened in chapter 15 verses 20 and 21:
20“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
Yes, God was their savior and their joy was so great they couldn't help but sing. It wasn't long before Moses himself began to sing. The lyrics of his song can be found in Exodus chapter 15 verses 2-18. But let's just focus on verses 2, 13, and 11:
2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 11 "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 13 "You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
Why did Moses ask,
“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?”
Well it certainly wasn't because Moses believed in more than one God! You see, if those Israelites had ever been tempted to believe in the Egyptian false gods they had no reason left. After what they had just experienced there was no question, the God of Heaven, alone, had power to rescue. He alone is capable of turning misfortune into celebration. Can you imagine the joy and celebration at that moment? The feelings of freedom from slavery and the elation of rescue. Not Moses, not one Israelite, had lifted a hand, or pulled a sword. God had done everything.
Moses’ words lead us to think that, before the Red Sea experience, in the minds of the Israelites there had been confusion about who God was and is. Many of the Israelites likely left Egypt with magic charms and bracelets that they had brought out of Egypt. Emblems of cats, beetles, and the all-seeing pyramid eye. Now in the context of this amazing miracle of God, they surely would have ripped those “lucky” talisman's, charms, and necklaces from their bodies and thrown them into the foaming sea. Shouts of jubilee went into the air,
“God alone, will I serve. He is powerful to protect us.”
Let's read Exodus 15:11 again:
11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
Prophet Moses’ question is a good question for us and for our generation. Today many in our country live as if there were some other ‘god’ who had power equal to or greater than the Creator of the Universe. They hang nazar beads, as if God himself were not strong enough to protect them. They seek answers from the zodiac and astrologers, as if they might actually reveal the future. They think the god of the lottery will alleviate their sorrows. They look to the god of global politics, the god of fate, the god of fortune or the god of their own cleverness to solve their problems. Many even make themselves a god through their reason and logic. Are they blind to see that only the God who parted the Red Sea can help them? God is God; any other so called 'help' is a delusion and a false hope. Only God has power over evil!
I am sure Başak and Bilgen thought they were pleasing the Lord by doing what they had seen so many others do. But let’s stop and think. Did God ever command us to do such things in the Holy Writings? Wouldn’t trusting a nazar bead really be asking protection from something other than God? Did God command the cutting of a rooster for healing or did those ideas come from somewhere else? As we continue studying the Holy Bible the answers to these questions will become clearer. But for now we need to understand that God is not manipulated by sacrifice, beads, recited sayings, or charms. He is looking for faith and trust. Is that a guarantee that God will always heal? No, there are times when He chooses not to heal or even intervene. But He knows everything and we must trust that He sees more than us; that He is always working for the long range good of all humanity. So how do we grow in faith and trust? By getting to know God better through the study of the Bible.
There was an interesting news story in Spain a few years back. There was a home for mentally retarded young men under the watchful care of a very kind hearted director. He loved the boys and men as if they were his own children. They knew this and liked to call him Big Daddy. One day the old wooden home caught on fire. In an orderly way the men and boys rushed out of the building. It wasn't long before the whole house was engulfed in flames. Once outside, the director counted his patients and realized one was missing. Just then he saw him leaning out of a second story window.
“Antoine," he called, "you must jump.”
“No Big Daddy, I am brave. See I have a fire extinguisher. I will fight the fire.” He replied.
Of course it was crazy to think that he could fight a fire of that size with a fire extinguisher. But the boy was retarded. The director pleaded,
“Antoine, come to me. Jump to my arms.”
The second floor really wasn’t that far and the boy could have easily jumped. Antoine just needed to believe Big Daddy and jump. But with the flames and smoke coming from all sides, the teen insisted on his silly plan,
“See Big Daddy, I have a fire extinguisher.”
The director and other boys watched in sadness and shock as Antoine disappeared from the window and never returned. The young man perished in the fire because he didn't trust his Big Daddy.
Let's not be like Antoine who didn't trust his caretaker. Nor like the Israelites who quickly forgot that God was protecting them and could easily give them a way of escape. Instead of relying on our own ideas and passed down traditions, let's trust the One who parted the Red Sea.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What authority does God have to tell us, “Don’t be afraid?”
2. What might have it felt like to have escaped the Egyptians through the Red Sea?
3. Why did God destroy the Egyptian army?
4. What problem do you need God to solve for you? Have you asked him in faith and trusted him to fully solve the problem?
5. Have you ever had something bad happen even though you had made all the "necessary precautions?
6. Is it possible that seeking help from sources outside of God could be an insult to Him?
7. Are you using any methods similar to Ömer’s father to fight evil? If so, ask God to forgive you for trying to accomplish His
work and trust him entirely.