THE ALIEN WITHIN

Who do you trust when life becomes difficult?

I dread the one scene in the movie “Alien”. While in outer space, the crew sit down for a meal. All is well until one astronaut begins convulsing in pain. As the others try to hold him down, an alien creature bursts through the astronaut’s chest. What was growing inside of the astronaut is now horribly evident for all to see. The astronaut had moved far away from the alien beings, but the alien still resided inside the astronaut.

A PROMISE QUICKLY FORGOTTEN

In Exodus chapter 32, The Israelites are now far away from Egypt, but Egypt’s dark hooks are latched onto their hearts. Many are still spiritual slaves of pagan Egypt yet make fervent lip service to the One True God. Earlier, when Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they (Israelites) responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 24:3). It is a rousing shout quickly forgotten when life becomes difficult.

What happens when the Moses goes up to the mountain and his people are left to their own devices? They wait one day, two days, and finally arrive at day forty. Mt. Sinai is covered with clouds and lightning. Moses is nowhere to be seen. Rather than trusting the God of Abraham, the Israelites rush to their own devices. Enemy nations surround them and quickly they discard Jehovah God. He is the One Who brought the plagues on Egypt, set the Israelites free and drowned Pharaoh’s army.  Satan rejoices in their desertion.

THEY WANTED THE BEST OF 2 WORLDS

They were already in the habit of merging their beliefs with those of the people around them, a practice that would continue to plague them throughout the kingdom years. Aaron called a feast to the Lord (Yahweh) and said that it was the god(s) which brought them out of the land of Egypt. The bull was a symbol of strength and fertility, and the people were already familiar with bull gods from Egypt. Bulls were also typical animals of sacrifice, so to use their image as a symbol of the god being worshiped was a natural connection. Aaron’s bull was a mixture of the powerful God who delivered the people through mighty works and the pagan methods of worship that were borrowed from the people around them. (Gotquestions.org)

Finally, descending from Mt. Sinai, Moses and Joshua discover in horror what is going on in the hearts of their people. God’s chosen people are having an orgy. The wizard behind the curtain of the Israelites’ souls is revealed and it is pure evil. Satan, the Father of Lies, brazenly masquerades as the savior of the people.

GOD DOES NOT SHARE A ROOM WITH OTHERS

God does not share a room with other gods. “You shall have no other gods before me.” The Israelites’ earlier promises to God are only lip service. They combined their old Egyptian practices with the worship of God. However, God does not share the room with others. In  “Exodus, Saved for God’s Glory” Philip Graham Ryken notes, “When things get difficult, we often try to return to the Egypt of our sin”. The alien must be surgically removed from our hearts.

NO SHARED LOYALTIES

Who do you trust when life becomes difficult? Do you choose to cling to the only True God and His promises, or do you produce your own hybrid faith, one that proclaims, “God helps those who help themselves”? God does indeed help those who obediently run to Him and obey. God does not help those who invent solutions of their own making.  He does not share loyalties.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8) There is not room for any other God in your heart. Run only to Him!

PERK UP YOUR EARS

Why wouldn’t God clarify exactly how He was going to restore my life?

A few years ago, I lost my hearing.  No, it wasn’t the physical hearing associated with all the tiny bones in the ear. I lost the ability to hear God’s voice. Life circumstances had plummeted to rock bottom.  Where was God in the middle of it? Had He moved a million miles away with no forwarding address? I thought God zigged when I zagged. He left me in a dark forest with no path, no compass and no flashlight to find my way out.  All I wanted was for life to become normal again. I wanted my life rebuilt on my terms. Where was God?

THE DEPRESSION

For quite a while I sank into a deep depression. Anger and panic became my closest friends.  Why wouldn’t God clarify exactly how He was going to restore my life?  My support system had been washed away. This painful period took far longer than I ever wished.

STEPS TOWARD RESTORATION

That’s when I started to slowly begin looking for the path God laid before me; that which I previously refused to acknowledge.  I wanted my life to be reset to its old modes, but God said, “No.” When I finally demanding life as I imagined it, God began to clearly speak, but on His terms.  He pushed me to view life with gratitude, even for the smallest things.  I slowed down and read His Words no longer because I was supposed to teach them, but because they became my river of strength.  Even church attendance transformed into a thing of beauty, not a place of obligation. God was there all the time, I just had refused listen to His quiet voice.

THE FABRIC OF MY NEW LIFE

All those lovely and vital parts of God’s screenplay that I had missed, became the very fabric of my new life. What at first I considered a great tragedy transformed into one of the greatest gifts I ever received.

GOD’S WHISPER

For all of you who find yourself in the midst of crushing defeat, disappointment and failure, I want to let you know that there is hope.  The pain may be excruciating right now but I beg you to hold on and ride out the tide.  When you feel like you can no longer hang on and you can’t hear God’s voice, quiet down and listen. The prophet Elijah had to listen for the whisper. God is here. (I Kings 19:11-12)