As we move relentlessly closer to the deadline for the down payment on “House Nazareth” (April 25th), I’m sometimes tempted to panic: “Lord, you led us out on this limb; you answered our prayers and did two miracles - you moved the hearts of the sisters and the Catholic officials to sell this property to Philosophia and you brought in gifts and short-term loans for the security deposit by the deadline of December 21. We did due diligence and acted as responsibly as we knew how to your leading. So many friends have sacrificially prayed and given. Please do not let this vision fail!”

Recently God reminded me that this is always the pattern of His working: When He led the people of Israel out of Egypt he “said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hairoth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zaphon.” (Exodus 14:1-2 NIV) In other words, He led them into a military trap! The Israelites were completely exposed: the sea on one side and an open flank on the desert; perfect for the shock troops of Pharaoh in their chariots (the most technically advanced military force of the time).

Moses, as a prince of Egypt, had been trained in the palace corps and surely recognized the danger of the maneuver. But God said to do it anyway. Why does God arrange things like this for his people? He made the reason clear in his orders to Moses: “I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” (V. 4) In other words, it is so that it will be transparently clear to the entire world that this was not the achievement of Moses or the Israelites, but rather the work of God alone.

That is breathtaking! It’s like all the Chinese kung-fu movies where the Master makes a strategic move that appears to everyone to be absurd and sure to lead to defeat, only to have it be revealed that it was really an expression of the most profound understanding and wisdom and wins the battle.

But why does God want all the glory for himself? Isn’t that kind of like us preening ourselves so others will flatter us and build us up? Actually, this is different: God wants all the glory for himself not because his weak ego needs our praise but because we need to praise Him for our sakes! For us humans, living in constant praise of God is like the water a fish swims in. Take a trout out of the water and it soon expires. God sets up object lessons of faith - like the Exodus - to remind us that this is the case and lead us back into the ocean of praise that we are designed to live in. (We forget so quickly where our true happiness lies!)

SO… (as Rabbit said to Winnie the Pooh) “here we ALL are”. Out on the end of a limb. Only God can get the glory. It’s right, but still not a very comfortable place to be perched! But I guess that’s just the way it should be; the children of Israel didn’t feel very secure until they were finally across the Red Sea.

The Scriptures make it clear that when we’re between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, it is honoring to God and good for us when we seek him in what the old saints used to call “earnest prayer”. In keeping with this, we’ve set up a 24 hour prayer chain for the “House Nazareth” project.

It would be a great encouragement if many folk joined with us. For information, please email Mary Ellen Stewart at: