What wins in the end, the unstoppable force or the immovable object? Pharaoh, the god of Egypt clashed with the Lord of the universe. Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go worship in the wilderness, but Pharaoh refused. Usually, these things get settled through compromise and concessions.
Pharaoh knew the art of the deal, so he proposed a series of compromises. First, he said, “Just worship here.” Then he said, “Don’t go very far into the wilderness.” Then he said, “Let the men go, but leave the children behind.” Finally, he proposed, “You can go but leave all of your herds here.” In each case, the Lord responded by sending a plague on Egypt to get Pharaoh to relent.
These compromises sound familiar to me today. Follow Jesus, but don’t get carried away. Follow Jesus, but don’t “force” faith on your children. Follow Jesus, but don’t get involved with your possessions. These compromises, like Pharaoh’s, eviscerate our faith commitment. When we choose to go with God, we go all in. Nor are we willing to leave our children or our possessions behind.
Years ago, a missionary couple was told they must leave the country with two hundred pounds of their possessions. They made lists and weighed the possessions that they valued the most. When the government officials arrived with their scales, the missionaries weighed out their two hundred pounds. Then the officials said, “Did you weigh your children?”
Our enemy, Satan would love to devour our children and pull them away from God. Let’s take them with us, all the way home to the Lord. We know this for sure: the Lord wins in the end. Let’s go with God on his terms, and we will never go wrong.
