Stand Up and Lift Up Your Head!

Lately, I've been reading about Moses.  I was intrigued when I reread the beginning chapters of Exodus.  I saw that God laid out, in great detail, the plan for Moses to carry out.  God promised to be with Moses.  He gave Moses a sign.  God told Moses exactly who to talk to and exactly what to say.  God even told Moses who would listen to him and who would not.  God promised to give The Promised Land to the Israelites (even though God told Moses the land was currently occupied by other people.)  It took awhile to convince Moses, but he finally agreed to obey God.  And lo and behold, everything happened just as God said it would!  The rest of the story is God's faithfulness and the lack of faith of the Israelites (and even Moses and Aaron at times.)  Isn't it so frustrating to read about?  Why couldn't they just believe?  It would have been so much smoother (as in, they would not have had to wander around a desert for 40 years) if they had just stuck with the plan clearly laid out by God, even the hard parts (like Pharaoh not listening.)  It is so easy to judge Moses and the Israelites in the whole case of The Exodus.

Now let's bring it closer to home.  Jesus laid out the whole plan for us about what would happen in our day.  Take a look (from the four Gospels):
1.  We will be hated, beaten, persecuted, put to death
2.  Many will turn away, betray and hate each other
3.  Increase of wickedness, love of most will grow cold
4. False prophets will deceive many people
5.  Gospel will be preached
6. Wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven
7. Believers handed over to local authorities, arrested, brought to trial
8. Believers will witness to governors and kings
9. When interrogated, the Holy Spirit will speak through believers
10. By standing firm we will gain life

When Jesus told His disciples all these things, He said it was so that when these things did happen, they would remember that He had warned them. We should not be surprised by persecution, it is part of the plan that Jesus laid out for His disciples and now for us.  It is all part of the plan. It seems like defeat, but it is NOT! "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28).

It is so hard to think of the end of the world drawing near. But "these things," the things Jesus warned us about when He told us The Plan, are happening. These words echo in my head: "these are the beginning of the birth pains...your redemption is drawing near...and then the end will come."

Even with the plan all laid out for them, Moses and the Israelites got distracted:  when they had to cross the sea, when they were hungry, when they were thirsty, when they were busy, had disputes, tried to do things alone, when they felt their leader and God took too long, when they were plain old disobedient, when they complained about hardships, when they listened to "the rabble" among them, when they became unhappy with and spoke out against God's servant, when they took the "we can't, the enemy is too strong" attitude, when they forgot God's promises, and when they looked at unbelievers around them and got caught up in immorality. (Exodus & Numbers)

Jesus warned that we too would get distracted.  Luke 21:34-36 mentions these distractions and warns against them: dissipation (according to a dictionary: a wasting by misuse, mental distraction, amusement, diversion), drunkenness, anxieties of life (what are the anxieties of your life?)

I am reminded of the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  Jesus repeatedly tells us to keep watch and warns us against distraction.  And yet, we read in Paul's letters, distractions even within the early church.  So we know the distractions in our day are just as real as the distractions in Moses' day.

I am struck by the contrast of "a heart weighed down" and "a head lifted up" in Luke 21:28,34.  Jesus lays the plan out for us. We know the end of the story: he who stands firm to the end will be saved. He tells us to always be on the watch and pray.

Things are taking place all across the world, friends. Let's stand up and lift up our heads, our redemption is drawing near!