There comes a time, when you have to let it go. You’ve done all you can do, and it’s no longer up to you. Can you imagine, how the children of Israel felt, when they looked back down the bed of the sea, and saw Pharaoh and his army bearing down on them? I’m sure, some spoke out loud: “I thought he said we could go!” When Moses told them to stand still, I’m sure they thought he had lost his mind. Every cell, said run!

We like to blame everything on the Pharaoh. And this, is where the Spirit seeks to inform some of us today. God, had hardened the man’s heart. Read it; that’s exactly what it says; and it was not the first time. Why would God do that? Because He wanted the entire land of Egypt, to know that HE was God, and there was none other.

HE had decided, that they were going to honor Him, one way or another. This hardening of the heart, bothers us. What it says that we don’t want to hear, is that God, is more involved with the things we face and go through, than we most often think He is.

There comes a time, when you’ve done everything you can do. It seems that no matter how you try to work with people, they won’t budge. We can say nice cute comments about leaving these folk alone; not having them in your life. And sometimes, that’s true. But we have to step back and consider, that God may have had a real hand in their being in our life; He allowed them to be there for a reason.

This molding, this firing of the clay, is not easy. We can point to others all we want, but there are some things about us, that we don’t want to change either. We yet, have some rough edges. But we tried to love them, and they just won’t have it.

There’s no need going on with it. It’s not working; it’s just not. Do we realize, that the children of Israel could have taken off running; every man for himself. But they would never have been able to outrun, what God had allowed to happen. God never intended for them to be overrun; but somehow, they did not know that. And this was the hour when the people spoke back to Moses. They said, we told you to leave us alone back there; we would rather have served the Egyptians, than to die out here in this desert of a place.

I have to say this. So many of us, had some things that had been ingrained in us, so strongly, by those we listened to. When you grow up in something, and everyone you fellowship with says the same thing, you’ll never just brush it off. Alright, good Bible truths of how we ought to live and walk before God, and how we should treat everyone else, will abide forever. But those things that were put there by men, most often, want to abide in you forever too. It takes a lot of rubbing, to get some behavior, out of our hearts.

Another test, is when we get to the second part of that wonderful verse. The part that says, “and ye shall hold your peace.” There are some times, that the only way God is going to fight for us, is if we back off, go on with what we can do; and be quiet. Don’t say anymore. Try to show a good spirit if you must encounter them; but no more discussion. The key to what God might do for us, just might be about how hard we try to keep the right attitude. If we can actually pray for them, and do everything we can to forgive them, He will fight for us; I’m a witness. Though it tarry, wait for it.

~ Robert Blackburn

Robert Blackburn