No Turning Back

One of my favorite songs over the years has been one sung by (this SO dates me) Steven Curtis Chapman. It's titled "Burn the Ships".  He sings about the explorer Cortez and how upon arrival in this new and exciting land, his crew began to speak of returning to the old world.  So Cortez ordered that they burn the ships.  Going back was not an option.  No matter what challenges the new world held this was their new life.  I was reminded of the song again this morning while reading my Bible.  I was reading Exodus 16.  In verse 3 the Israelites are complaining about being stuck in the wilderness.

"If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned.  "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted.  But now you (Moses and Aaron) have brought us into this wilderness to starve us to death." 

As I read this, I began to think of the different times I have moaned about different challenges and instead of seeing them as an opportunity to step into all that God has for me.  I have pulled back when God has wanted me to have faith.  I want to go back to the "easy life" - to be comfortable in a situation that shouldn't be comfortable at all. 

The Israelites were at the mercy of the Egyptians.  They kept them as slaves.  Refused to allow them to worship freely.  And at one point in their not too distant history, slaughtered all their baby boys - their future.  Yeah, that was a great life.

We do the same thing though.  We take a step of faith, obey God and start to venture out into the unknown and instead of feeling exhilarated we become terrified and want to turn tail and run back to the life we knew before.  Back to the familiar.

The Israelites had a sad road ahead.  Eventually they would get to the land of promise.  Eventually.  After crossing the Red Sea they began to complain, worried about what they would eat.  They had just witnessed God part the waters of a sea - a SEA! and they walked through to safety.  Really?  They were worried about a little food.  BUT God  heard their complaints and gave them manna.  They were relieved when God gave them manna - white like coriander seed and tasted like honey wafers (vs 31).  But after forty years the "honey wafer" flavour wouldn't be so sweet.  It was the same thing every morning.  Day in, day out. 

 How many times have I been witness to something truly miraculous only to freak out when some little challenge or discomfort comes my way.  If we allow our fears to stop us from following God's plan because we are too uncomfortable or scared to obey and trust we are going to take a whole lot longer to get to our "promise land" too.  We may not even reach it.  Sure we'll have "food" to eat, we'll feel safe, and comfortable but we will be missing out.  Boredom will become more of a part of our identity than faith.  Self-centered complaints will give way to pessimism.  Sin will find it easier and easier to creep back into a life that once held so much promise.

 We need to stop looking back at the "pots filled with meat" and recognize that the lives we lead before for what they were. Most often what we are longing for is a past that included the slavery of our hearts and minds and the death of tomorrow's promise.  The sad thing is is that the very things that motivate us to step out and persue God in the first place are sometimes the same things that draw us back into our comfort zones.  Do not let the temptation to turn back take root or you may be wandering in the wilderness for a long time.

Avoiding the long road...

Spend time with God.  Spend time in His Word.  Let Him fulfill His promise in you. God, thankfully, gives us 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th and, well ...you get the idea.  He gives us new opportunities everyday to trust and obey Him and to experience the fullness of life He has for each of us.  This life is like a difficult mountain trail.  Sometimes it seems it would be easier to just turn around and go back, but we need to remember every time we crest the next peak the view gets better and better and we are just that much closer to heaven. Look forward to each morning as an opportunity to move forward instead of looking back.  Burn the ships.

Burn The Ships
- Steven Curtis Chapman

In the spring of 1519 a Spanish fleet set sail
Cortez told his sailors this mission must not fail
On the eastern shore of Mexico they landed with great dreams
But the hardships of the new world make them restless and weak
Quietly they whispered, "Let's sail back to the life we knew"
But the one who led them there was saying

Burn the ships, we're here to stay
There's no way we could go back
Now that we've come this far by faith
Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return
Our life is here
So let the ships burn

In the spring of new beginnings a searching heart set sail
Looking for a new life and a love that would not fail
On the shores of grace and mercy we landed with great joy
But an enemy was waiting to steal, kill, and destroy
Quietly he whispers, "Go back to the life you know"
But the one who led us here is saying

Nobody said it would be easy
But the one who brought us here
Is never gonna leave us alone

Burn the ships, we're here to stay
There's no way we could go back
Now that we've come this far by faith
Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return
Our life is here
So let the ships burn