“They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’” – Exodus 14:11-12

A life lived following God is a life of adventure…to say the least. This last weekend my son was in the hospital. As I reflected on all the days I’ve spent in the hospital over the years, I thought about how we grow through the struggles. At that moment, our nurse came in to check on my son. She had a very thick accent, so I asked her where she was from. She told us she was from China and I asked her what brought her to America. She quickly said, “God brought me here!” She then, with great excitement, shared the story of how Christ had called her into a relationship with him, the intense persecution she faced in her home country, the way God rescued her from it, and how he led her to America, all so that she could be a witness for him in this foreign land that was becoming more and more lost every day. Her joy was infectious! She could not help but talk about her Savior and how he works in her life!

As she left, I was struck by the fact that her life before Christ was not bad. But she knew there was something greater out there and she pursued that relationship no matter what it cost her. Following Christ is difficult. If we, like the Israelites, are ready to give up the freedom of following God for the slavery of living for man at the first sign of trouble, then we will never experience all the incredible miracles God has planned for us. Living every moment for Christ is not easy, but it is the only true, abundant life. Everything else is simply slavery.

Almighty God, we never again want to be a slave to man. Strengthen us and give us a passion to follow You no matter how scary it may be. Show us the incredible plans You have in the wilderness and teach us to trust You in the storm.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon