Why Are You Crying Out?

Why Are You Crying Out?

Exodus 14:10-18

January 20, 2019 • Mount Pleasant UMC

This week, something extraordinary and fantastic happened over at South High School. On Monday evening, Bailey Halloran was crowned Winter Homecoming Queen, nominated and elected by her peers. And while homecoming activities aren’t particularly extraordinary, what is amazing is Bailey herself. In case you don’t know her, Bailey has Down’s Syndrome and participates in our Grace Unlimited Ministry. Our family got to know her when Rachel was on the South dance team. Bailey’s mom, Patti, was one of Rachel’s coaches and her sister, Payton, was Rachel’s dance partner for two seasons. But Bailey was one of Rachel’s biggest fans every year, always cheering for her and asking me about her. There are so many things I love about Bailey, but most of all is her determination not to let the challenges in her life slow her down. She had a goal for a long time of becoming homecoming queen, just like her mom had been in 1982, and now she (and her classmates) have made that happen. You see, Bailey doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself, nor does she expect others to do things for her. She is a strong, determined young lady who doesn’t let anything slow her down.

We could all use a good, heaping dose of Bailey’s spirit these days. We live in a world that prefers complaining and griping as opposed to actually solving problems. I spend a lot of time at Starbucks—praying and meditating, of course—and the conversations that I can’t help but overhear (because they are so loud) tend to have a lot of complaining in them. It doesn’t seem to matter what the topic is: the government, the politicians, the weather, the new jail—there’s always a reason to complain about it. Or hop onto Facebook or Twitter and try to spend more than a few minutes without a conversation full of complaints, gripes, and observations about what is wrong. I find that whatever field you’re in, people in that same field spend a lot of time griping to one another. It seems to be easier to dwell on what is wrong with our world than it is to find anything good. We have a tendency toward being a negative, complaint-filled society.

When you encounter conversations like that, do you ever wonder what God might have to say about it all? If Jesus were part of those conversations, what do you think he would say? Would he join in the complaining, or would he have a different plan? This morning, we’re continuing our series of sermons on questions God asks, a series we’ve called “Role Reversal” simply because we’re not used to God asking us questions. We usually ask him questions and demand answers. But all through the Bible, God asks humanity questions—and he expects us to answer! Last week, we looked at the very first question God ever asked humanity: “Where are you?” And we talked about why God wanted and wants to have a relationship with us. By the time we get to the book of Exodus, and in particular the story we read this morning, you have to think maybe God is wondering again why he puts up with these people. When they are content to complain, God confronts them with a question that is much more a confrontation than we usually understand it to be. In the midst of the Exodus, God asks them, “Why are you crying out to me?” A better translation of that might be, “Why are you still whining?”

The story of the Exodus is a grand, sweeping story of liberation and freedom. It has inspired many groups of people all throughout history—and it’s been made into several good movies, as well. Later on this year, we’re going to look at the story of the Exodus and of Moses in more detail, so this morning I just want to look at this particular incident, the moment when they came face-to-face with their mortality. These people, the Hebrew people, had been slaves for a few generations, working for the ruler of Egypt, the Pharaoh, and living a life that was, let’s just say, less than luxurious. It’s ironic, since their people had come to Egypt centuries before and at that time had been given the best land to live in. Their forefather Joseph, whose life we studied last fall, had been a high-ranking official in the Egyptian government, second only to Pharaoh himself. But all that has been forgotten; the people are slaves now and God has sent Moses to lead them out of slavery, to a land he had promised to them long ago.

When the Hebrews left Egypt, there would have been two possible routes for them, one of which was by far the easier route. It led along the coast and is largely flat. However, because it was well-traveled, it also would have been well-guarded by the Egyptians, to protect their people from robbers and bandits. So instead of sending the people along that route, God led them inland, through the desert. Oddly enough, when we were in Egypt in 2012, we were unable to retrace that route because it is largely controlled by the bedouins, many of which are opposed to the Egyptian government. When you hear about people being kidnapped, some of them off of tourist busses, it’s usually in this area, where the original Exodus would have taken place (cf. Goldingay, Exodus & Leviticus for Everyone, pgs. 62-63). The main obstacle in this route would have been the Sea of Reeds—that’s actually what the original text says. We’ve read it “Red Sea” for a long time because of an early translation area. But, then again, where this “Sea of Reeds” is actually located is unknown. It very well may have been a northern arm of the Red Sea, or it may have been another area that is filled with marshy lakes. We just don’t know for sure, and actually, the geography really isn’t the point. The point is that the Hebrew people faced an obstacle that they could not overcome on their own. They’re trapped in a cul-de-sac of sorts—a waterway in front of them and Pharaoh’s army closing in behind them. What will they do? How will they get out of this one?

It's amazing how we remember the things that have happened to us. A few weeks ago, I told you the story about how I almost died on the way up the side of Stone Mountain. Later that afternoon, one of my kids told me that the way I told it wasn’t the way it happened. But I said that’s the way I remembered it, so I’m sure that’s how it happened! A similar thing happens here in Exodus. The Hebrews had been in slavery. Some will say it was a benevolent slavery, but slavery is still slavery. They weren’t working for themselves or their family; they worked for Pharaoh, building things for his glory and honor. They were not free to do what they wanted or go where they would like. I doubt the food or the housing they had was all that great. But when they are stuck in the cul-de-sac, how do they remember the experience? Their fear causes them to push back at Moses. “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” they say (14:11). Of course, the irony in that statement is that Egypt was known for its graves; what image do you think of when you picture Egypt? Pyramids, right? Big tombs. All over Egypt there are massive gravesites from ancient times, none as spectacular as the well-known Giza pyramids but nonetheless dedicated to elaborate burial rituals and providing a way, they believed, to enter the afterlife. In fact, about three-fourths of Egypt’s land was dedicated to gravesites in ancient times (cf. Kaiser, “Exodus,” Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, pg. 387). Three-fourths! Yes, there were graves in Egypt! More than that, they tell Moses, “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (14:12). Sure, it was slavery, but at least we weren’t trapped like we are now!

Moses does what any good leader, then or now, would do. He stands up and makes an inspirational speech. You know the effect good speeches like that have. Think Winston Churchill in World War II calling on the British people to “never give in.” Or think of President Bush after the attack on 9/11 or Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

I think that’s the spirit in which Moses’ speech is given here. In front of all the people, he tells them to not fear, but to trust God. “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today,” he says. “The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (14:13-14). And at the end of Moses’ speech, that’s when God asks the question. “Why are you crying out to me?”

It’s a strange question, until you look at the context. What does God say next? “Tell the Israelites to move on” (14:15). And then God gives Moses instructions for crossing through the sea. When they are safe on the other side, the Egyptians will be drowned and God will be glorified. The answer to Moses’ speech, and his prayers, is a question: “Why are you crying out to me?” A slightly more cynical translation of that question might be something like this: “Stop whining and get on with it. You know what to do. So do it.” God had already promised to bring them safely to the promised land. They have come this far based on the promises of God. Did they suddenly think that now, in this cul-de-sac, God was unable to take care of them? Did they believe that God was now somehow less than the God who brought them out of Egypt in the first place? In this question, God is basically telling them, “Stop crying to heaven and get moving on” (cf. Kaiser 389).

Well, honestly, that sounds kind of rude. Doesn’t God want us to trust him? Doesn’t he want us to seek out his will? Yes, and yes, but he also calls us to action. In this particular situation, the Hebrews are using their complaints and their whining to stall, to not do anything even when they know what the next thing to do is. Stop crying out. Get moving. Do what you already know to be God’s will. I think I’ve shared before about one of my pastor mentors who is now retired, but early on in his ministry, he was offered a new appointment, a new church to serve. He told the District Superintendent he needed to pray about it, and he did, diligently. But, he said, he had no clarity. Should he move or should he stay? It didn't seem like God was answering. He knew he needed to give the Superintendent an answer, so he was crying out to God: “Tell me what to do. Should I move or should I stay?” And he said that particular day he heard God clearly say to him these life-changing words: “I don’t care. I can use you wherever you end up.” In other words: “Why are you crying out to me? Move on!” He said in that moment that was absolutely freeing for him.

Sometimes when we are “stuck,” we need to just take action of some sort, just to get unstuck. Sometimes we talk about praying over something so as to look like we’re trusting God, when in reality all we’re doing is putting off making a decision. In a lot of those situations, we know what we need to do. God is calling us to just take a step, move forward in some way, and trust him with the outcome. Why are you sitting there, whining, complaining or trying to turn around? Move on, God says. Do something!

In these situations, we might wonder if we can know the will of God, or how we can find out what it is. We use that phrase to cover a lot of circumstances, and without realizing it, sometimes we ascribing to God’s will things that are far from it. For instance, let’s think about a common enough scenario. A person arrives late at work, only to find that a fire has destroyed the office building, and on the news you hear them say something like, “I think God delayed me so I would be saved.” So was it also God’s will that three people who were already in the building died? Why didn’t God save them, too? Or, worse yet, and I’ve heard this said, a child dies and some well-meaning people say something like, “Well, it must have been what God wanted. It was God’s will.” So, you’re saying God killed that child? I’m sorry, but that’s not a God worthy of worship. That’s a God who is cruel, arbitrary and heartless. By any standard of human decency, such an action would be considered punishable.

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, a British Methodist pastor from 1915 until 1960, wrote a little book that I’ve found very helpful as a summary for understanding the will of God—called, appropriately, The Will of God. In his writing and preaching, Weatherhead talked about three aspects or lenses for understanding the will of God (22-25). He calls them the “intentional will of God,” the “circumstantial will of God” and the “ultimate will of God.” Each of those ideas deserves at least one sermon by itself, but for our time here this morning, I’ll just summarize each one of them quickly. The “intentional” will of God is pretty much what it sounds like: what God intends, or God’s purpose. If everything went the way God wanted it to, what would be the result? As we talked about last week, God’s intention in the beginning was that men and women would walk with him and be in a relationship with him. However, humanity chose to sin, to rebel against God and go our own way. We chose to reject God’s intention. I believe that’s still God’s intention, though to get us there he’s had to go another way, including coming here to earth and dying for us. And that is a good picture of the “circumstantial will of God,” what God chooses to do in light of the ways we reject his original plan. Think about it this way: Jesus said that peacemakers are blessed. That’s God’s intention, that we would be peacemakers. However, there are times when evil rises and it must be met. War is not a solution, nor is it God’s intention that we fight and kill each other. However, sometimes circumstances dictate that it unfortunately must be so. That’s what we talk about as the “circumstantial will” of God. Then, the “ultimate will of God” is what will happen no matter what. No matter what humanity does, or the ways we try to destroy each other, ultimately the kingdom of God will come in its fullness and those who believe will be with God forever. There is nothing we can do to derail that.

So, then the question comes, how do we know what God’s will is for us? Rarely is God’s will written across the sky for us to read. Sometimes I wish it were, and other times—well, not so much. Sometimes I like to claim ignorance! Dr. Weatherhead identified several “signposts” or experiences which can point us toward God’s will for us (pgs. 57-68). The first of these is conscience. Not the Jiminy Cricket form of conscience, but that small voice within us which points us in the right direction. That’s part of the image of God still within us, the Holy Spirit whispering to our spirit (cf. Romans 8:16). It’s the voice Isaiah describes which tells us, “This is the way; walk in it” (cf. Isaiah 30:21). Closely related to this is common sense. It’s been said that today there isn’t much of this around, but occasionally you see it show up. Who do you think gives us that common sense? God gave you the ability to make decisions, to know what is good for you and others and what is not. Listen to that impulse, even if it seems “ordinary” or “common.”

A third signpost is found in the influence of others. Sometimes it’s the conversation you have with a friend that begins to give you direction and wisdom. Sometimes it comes through talking with a pastor or a counselor. Sometimes it comes through reading the biography or story of a great Christian of the past. I love reading biographies because they show me ways God has worked in the past—and even though God might not, probably won’t, work in exactly the same way, those stories inspire me to be more open to what God might want to do in my time and place. This past week, our covenant group met for lunch, as we do every month. That’s a group of six of us United Methodist pastors, and while we are always reading and discussing a book, oftentimes the discussion ranges far and wide, covering a lot of topics. Pastor Clark Cowden, the pastor at Northside, tries to keep us on task, but it’s not easy herding cats. I have to say, though, it’s often in those wide-ranging discussions with those friends that I find inspiration, direction, and maybe even a bit of the will of God, as they lovingly speak into my life and, hopefully, I into theirs.

A fourth signpost from Weatherhead is the voice of the Church. John Wesley called this the tradition of the faith. We did not invent this faith for ourselves; there is two thousand years of history behind us from which we can learn. What has the church historically said? And that leads us to one other signpost, the Scriptures, the book of the church. God’s will for us will not contradict what he has already revealed to us in the Scriptures. A community I once lived in was rocked by the actions of a well-known pastor who was a friend to many of us. One day, soon after his wife was diagnosed with an incurable disease, he announced to his church and to his congregation that God had told him he was to divorce his sick wife and leave town with a woman in the church. And he did, absolutely convinced (it seemed) that that was God’s will for him. The problem for the rest of us was that it pretty clearly contradicted what God says in so many places in the Scripture. God will not will us to do anything that rejects the Scriptures (cf. Larsen & Larsen, Questions God Asks pg. 54).

Dr. Weatherhead then proposes two questions we need to ask as we seek out God’s will (pgs. 66-68). I’ve shared a lot of things this morning, but I want you to write down these two questions. If you don’t remember anything else I’ve said today, I hope these questions will root down into your heart and come back to you often. Are you ready? The first one is this: Do I really want to know God’s will, or am I just trying to get him to approve my will? Abraham Lincoln once said, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side.” We often will make plans and then ask God to bless them when it should happen the other way around. We do this in meetings, in family decisions, in decisions large and small. So do you really want to know God’s will, or are you just trying to get him to bless your will? That’s the first question. Are you ready for the second? Here it is: do I have the courage to do God’s will once I know what it is? The Hebrews knew what God’s will for them was: move forward. Move on. Head toward the promised land. But all they could see was the sea in front of them. Did they have the courage to move their feet forward even when doing so seemed impossible? Do I have the courage to do God’s will once I know what it is? Sometimes, when we look at the bigness of what God calls us to do, we become paralyzed by fear and we begin to believe that it can’t be done. One of my favorite stories takes place in a storm on the Sea of Galilee (cf. Matthew 14:22-33). The disciples are out in a boat when they see what seems to be a ghost coming toward them, except it’s not a ghost. It’s Jesus, walking on the water toward them. Peter, bold brave Peter, calls out, “If it’s you, Lord, tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus calls him, so Peter steps out onto the water. But very soon, he sees the storm and he is overcome by fear, which causes him to sink. He sees the storm but not the sustaining savior. And yet, Peter started off in the right direction. John Ortberg summed it up well in a book title from a few years ago: If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat. That’s true! Peter started off right: he got out of the boat. He started out courageously. Once we know what God’s will is, do we have the courage to do it? Dr. Weatherhead says what we need most often is not more discernment but grit (68).

Friends, I believe this year at Mount Pleasant is going to be a significant one. We have some opportunities for ministry ahead of us that will require a lot of faith and not a little courage. We’ll share more details as the weeks go on, but first we have to be able to answer that second question, not only as individuals but as a church. Do we have the courage to do God’s will? Do we have the willingness to step forward after we discern where God is calling us? Are we going to follow God all the way to the promised land or turn around and go back to Egypt? One way is freedom, the other is slavery. The only thing standing between us and the future is the sea, and God says: “Why are you crying out? Why are you complaining? Move on! Get busy! Do what I’ve called you to do!” Are we ready to answer that call? Are we? Let’s pray.