The Beauty of Redemption: A Modern Day Parable

She was only 12, but her tired eyes gave away the years of abuse she had suffered as a child prostitute in an Indian slum. Her name was Bandhura, which means pretty in her language. Despite the obvious scars on her face and the deep bruising where she had been struck repeatedly by her master and the men who used her, she was still a beautiful little girl.

I first spotted her as I walked down the dirt, trash-filled alley. She was caged, literally like an animal, her head bowed low as though she were unable to look at the next man who was going to use her for his own personal pleasure. Anger rose inside me at the blatant injustice; how much pain had this little girl endured? What had she possibly done at such a young age to deserve this? But greater still, I knew the love that my God, her God had for her. I knew the love I felt for her and a holy anger burned inside. I could not walk away. I would not walk away; not without her.

I boldly approached the man who I assumed was her owner. He looked eager to meet the perverse needs of an American tourist; and clearly saw an opportunity. My eyes must have flashed the anger that was seething inside of me. I asked him sharply, 'How much for her?' He quoted an amount in Rupees, and I knew he didn't understand. "No. I am going to buy her from you," I said. "I want to redeem her. Name your price." He replied, "I make my living off of this trash; and not much at that. She's not for sale."

I knew love would not let me leave. I had to take her with me. I had to set her free. This was not what she was created for. This was not the end of the story. "You don't understand," I said. "There is no cost too great; even if it is my own life." The man looked almost as if he was afraid. I could see the questions forming in his head. Yet, he quickly managed to muster a
response. "What if you traded yourself for her? You come to work for me. I can hire you out for manual labor." "If that's the price I will gladly pay it," I said without hesitation. He stood amazed. The man clearly thought I was crazy.

"You can have her for one thousand American dollars," he finally managed to mutter. "You will have the money in the morning," I said. "But right now, she's coming with me." One look at her face, and I knew that grace was what I would give; undeserving, unmerited freedom to a little girl I didn't even know. She had done nothing to earn it. I owed her nothing. Yet, I loved her. Grace was a gift that I wanted her to have so desperately.

If you have yet to see, you and I are Bandhura and God our Redeemer. It was grace that caused Him to take our place. No price was too great. Satan tried to steal Him away with temptation. Yet, His great love for us would not let Him leave. This is His story; it is our story: the history of grace.

For more information on how you can be a part of helping end the horror of human trafficking please visit http://www.thehomefoundation.net/. It is a non-profit organization founded by Christian music artist Natalie Grant. Women and children around the world are being sold as sex slaves. Give the gift of grace.

GOD Is Mighty: Part IV

There is no doubt that the greatest act of God's might occurred because of the cross. His death was the perfect sacrifice. Our sins were forgiven, yet the deal would not be sealed unless He was raised from the dead. Thanks be to God that on the third day He rose from the grave! I see such parallels between the Israelites and us. We too were living in bondage. Humanity had lived so long as slaves to sin. We were crying out to be free. God heard us, and just as He sent Moses to the Israelites, this time He sent His Son Jesus for us.

Most of the time we hold our heads high, defiant of the Enemy. But there are those rare times when, I don't know about you, but for me I wonder why Jesus ever saved me. What was the point of the cross if I don't get to always walk in victory? Sometimes my sin seems safer, easier, and offers security. Even though I was miserable, I at least knew what to expect. I begin to doubt the God who saved me. Where is He? When the whole time His master plan is that He get the glory. Remember what Paul writes? That His power is made perfect in our weakness. It's not all about you. It's not all about me.

Like those in the Exodus, we often fail to see beyond our own need. Yet, just as God did in ancient Egypt, He will get the glory in the end. His Son will be crowned with it. From Genesis to Revelation we see the greatness of God.

The fear that God caused in the hearts of the Egyptians and in the eyes of the Israelites was so they would know His name. The whole point of his mighty show of power displayed was so that they would give Him glory. That they would recognize that this is His story. God intended for His miracles and signs to be seen by the world with the intent that they would worship Him. The question may come up, 'Was God showing off?' and the answer is YES! God is not trying to impress man; He has no need for that. What we do or believe does not change who He is. But He is trying to impress upon us that He is mighty and because of that we are to fear and revere Him. We are to bring Him glory!

Fear and pride keep us from recognizing God's might. Fear says we can't do it; pride is confidence that we can. But both arise when we try to do it on our own.

So, what do we do with this truth that God is mighty? We do what Moses commanded the people of Israel to do. There are times in our lives when are simply supposed to stand still, not be afraid, and watch what the Lord is going to do. But as God commanded them, we keep moving! You gotta love the irony. Be still and move. Don't allow yourself to be paralyzed. And once God gets the glory, we respond just like the Israelites...with worship. They sang a victory song. They called him their strength, their song, and their salvation. They called Him a warrior.

I have to ask you. Is God getting the glory for the victories in your life? Or are you walking out with your head held high and defiant like the Israelites? God is mighty; He will get the glory. So, why not willingly give it to Him?

GOD Is Mighty: Part III

This picture of Israel makes me think of fainting goats. Do you know what I'm talking about? It just so happens that my friend Tim Drane actually raises them. They look like your average goat, but they have a genetic condition called myotonia congenita. When they are startled or scared, their muscles lock up. Their legs stiffen and most of the time the young ones fall over, while the older ones simply spread their legs to support themselves. It only lasts about ten seconds, but of course that’s long enough for an enemy, a coyote or maybe a bear to catch up to them and well, you get the picture.

The people allowed the situation to change their perception of God's strength. They doubted what they knew to be true. They had been eye witnesses! But that's exactly what we are tempted to do in our own lives. We have seen what God is capable of, and yet we’re tempted to think it was a one-time thing. Unfortunately we also share another fatal mistake with the Israelites. Their main concern was their freedom; God's was His glory. See the difference? One is about us. The other is about Him. It never seemed to occur to them that God was going to look great in all of this. Dick Nelson of Fellowship Church NWA puts it this way: "God would make His name great so Israel could make His name known."

What about you? What is it that He is leading you through? Are you more concerned that you survive or that God is glorified? The evidence of God's might in our lives will cause the world to know that He is the Lord. When, we deny that God is mighty, we are telling our friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and anyone else that’s close enough to us, that we really don’t believe God told us the truth about himself when he said he was mighty enough to save us. denying that He alone is the one true God. If His power is not supreme, then another's must be. In the end, we are denying Him and of that I don't want to be guilty.

We of course know the rest of the story, God split the sea and drove the waters to the sides. The Israelites walked through on dry ground and as the Egyptians followed, God gave them a permanent bath. This is where it ends up in verse 31: "Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses." The people, saw, they feared, and they believed. They admitted openly that God is mighty. They finally got it.

GOD Is Mighty: Part II

Exodus 14:4-15

4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 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 in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." 13 And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
15The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

In verse 4 God says that He will "...get glory over Pharah and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD." It becomes clear that While God has heard the cries of His people and He is intent is to lead them to freedom, He is going to make sure that He gets glory in the process.

In verse 11 we read that "...the people of Israel were going out defiantly." I can't help but wonder if they were giving themselves some credit for what was taking place. In the chapter leading up to this, the people basically plundered the Egyptians. Their captors gave them anything that they wanted on their way out of town. So, at this point their heads are held high, and the question in my mind becomes 'Is this pride on parade?' Where they so sure of themselves? If they were, it didn’t last for long. That’s a lot like us; think about it. If we are so convinced of God's greatness, of His power and might, then why we so quickly become scared out of our minds when the boss gives us our 2-week notice? It says "...they feared greatly..." I’m sure they did, and I’m sure I would have felt exactly as they did, and I’m pretty sure you would have, too.

And then the questions are posed to Moses..."Why did you bring us out here, to die? We could've stayed in Egypt. We would've been miserable, but at least we would be alive." At this point it appears as if everything and everyone has stopped; save the Egyptians who seem to be closing in. I try to imagine what was going through their minds...the whispers among the crowd. "If a group goes to the left of the sea and another to the right, some of us might survive." "Do we stand and fight or simply surrender? They are prepared for battle, we've basically got our moving trucks loaded with our stuff."

Where is the confidence they once had? They had just seen God do ten unexplainable miracles…miracles done on their behalf, witnessed God's might, yet here they are acting like they’d never been the object of a single act of his grace and mercy. They are questioning His power. Don't we do that? How many times have we seen what God is capable of, what He has done and yet the very next time it's as though He's completely helpless. Therein lies our sin: God is mighty, but we deny His power.

Let's look at Moses' response to the people in verse 13 is classic: "Fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord"; verse 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." I love that! See the salvation of the Lord. People you are about to be witness to God's power. Oh, I know you've seen what He's capable of, but He's about to finish what He started. You've seen the plagues but wait until you get a load of this. God is going to see you through.

It gets better. Look again at what God asked Moses: "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward." That's great. He's essentially saying, "Stop whining and keep moving." This was not part of the plan. The Israelites were paralyzed by fear.

When we fail to recognize that God is mighty, we begin to feel weak and powerless. It paralyzes us. I go into what I call 'survival mode'. I stop where I am, and I don't move. I love the irony here. Moses has just told them to stand firm, and God is telling them to get a move on. Clearly Moses is telling them to stand firm in their faith and God is saying, follow my lead. Just because you are watching to see what I will do doesn't mean I won't accomplish at least part of it through you. You have responsibility, too!

GOD Is Mighty: Part I

God is mighty...I love the sound of that. He goes by so many different names. There are so many dimensions to His character, His personality, and His being, and each of the different names reveals an aspect of who He is. But One of my favorite names for God is found in the Old Testament. He is called 'El Shaddai,' (from the Acadian word shaddock -mountain) which translated means 'God the Mighty' or 'God Almighty'.

When I was about 10 or 11 years old my best friend and I were camping behind his apartment complex. Now, why we were doing that in town when I lived in the country I don't know. But there we were with my brand new tent my parents had given me. We had made hot dogs out on the grill, and so John decided that we needed to put the embers out responsibly. I followed him around the building and up the stairs where he got a huge bowl and filled it with water. Why he didn't grab a pitcher or a bucket, I don't know. But there we were with this big bowl of H2O.

We started outside and he decided that he needed to go down backward so that the weight of the water wouldn’t send him flying down the stairs. My role was to go in front and have his back. When we neared the bottom of the stairs, these two big guys who were all of probably 14 or 15 by the way, came out of the apartment on the ground floor. They had made a name for themselves at school as the tough kids. I vividly remember one making judo jabs and kicks in our general direction. What I didn't realize was that most likely he was a little intoxicated. I remember being afraid and feeling like he had all the power in the situation. I wished that I was the Karate Kid.

What seemed like minutes was only a matter of seconds. My best friend leaned over to me and whispered, 'Get ready to run.' I'm pretty sure I peed my pants at that point. I knew what he was going to do. Remember that big, ole bowl of water he was carrying? He threw it in the big kid's face. Everything else is pretty much a blur...perhaps that's because I was running for my life. It should go without saying, but it won’t, that within the hour we were both completely drenched, and I had to borrow a change of clothes. But anyhow...the point is that this kid had made a name for himself. He wanted people to know that he was large and in charge. He was powerful...and I feared him.

The Israelites were powerless and weak

The people of Israel best understood fear and the feeling of being powerless. The book of Exodus explains that they have been in captivity for more than four hundred years in Egypt. When God decided to deliver them, they were living and working under the harsh hand of a new Pharaoh The king himself was afraid that the people had become too great, so he basically decided to work them to death to prevent the possibility of them ever trying to take over. But God said He heard the cries of His people and in doing so, He sent Moses to lead them. As we all know, the Pharaoh said 'no'. Ten times to be exact. In response to each of Pharoah’s “nos” God's response was to send a plague on the land and people of Egypt; everything from the water of the Great Nile turning to blood... to the deaths of the Egyptians' firstborn. But the Hebrew houses went untouched by the despair. I have to wonder what the Egyptians were thinking...it was as if a line were drawn in the sand. And what about the Israelites? Even though Moses kept coming home with a 'no', they could clearly see God was working.

Here's the thing: the people had great expectations. They expected God to deliver them--to set them free. God agreed, but He was just getting started and had a much greater plan as we will see.