Looking Beyond The River

I thank God for his goodness and for his mercies. I worship Jesus him alone I worship for it is written worship the Lord him alone you worship. I give him all the glory and the honor for he has done so much for me, he has saved my soul from sin and death. I bless his name for he given me the hope, a hope no one will ever give. That is why I will come to his court each day with thanksgiving and praise in my heart. In fact, this became my resolution, to trust him, his word, and to worship the Lord Jesus, him alone because its written worship the Lord him alone you worship.

I was thinking, and contemplating about the goodness of the Lord Jesus, his great mercy, and his great love. I was thinking about from where he brought me, his great love, mercy, and compassion he has shown me. I was thinking of his protection, and different things he has done for me along the path of life, the lesson he taught me, and the provision and promise he gave me.

Somewhere along the line of all these thoughts, came a thought that made me to stop, ask and think. I thank God for his word and everything that is in his word for always uses his word to take our attention and our thought.

Off course, I spend time to ask question to find out answers to the questions I asked, either from my prior knowledge or from reading the scriptures. I spend time to think, pray and contemplate about the questions and the word came to my mind.

Initially, didn’t even know where this would lead me, but continued with prayer, and searching for more understanding and meaning. I continued thinking, asking questions and contemplating using the lead thought came to my mind, “Looking beyond the River”

However, this is what I said after spending time to ask questions, think and reflect, “We need to look beyond the River” , “We must look beyond from what we see, of what we face." We must look beyond the River “

The first though came to my mind during my search was the story of the children of Israelite and their Journey from Egypt to Canaan, and all their experiences in the wilderness. The second main thought came to my mind was their experience at the Red Sea and at the Jordan River.

This is what I learned when I continued questioning, and the search to find out some answers. Praise God for his word and for what is written in the Bible for it is written for our own learning. Praise God for people who taught us the word of God.

I learned early that there is a connection between the story of the children of Israelite and their Journey from Egypt to Canaan, and the word came to my mind. In fact, there is a strong connection between their story and the word looking beyond the River for I learned the children of Israelite had to cross two water bodies, a Sea, and a River before they reached Canaan. They had to cross the Red Sea first and River Jordan after before they inherit the Canaan, the promised land.

In their stories and in their Journey to Canaan they had to cross the Red Sea First, then River Jourdan before they inherit Canaan. That is why I thought we need to read to understand the story of the children of Israelite and their Journey from Egypt to Canaan, which is a symbolic and exact representation of spiritual Journey of believer’s (Christians) to inherit the kingdom of God through faith in Christ Jesus, to understand the essence of Looking beyond the River.

This is the summary of the story of the Children of Israelite Journey from Egypt to Canaan. The story of the Children of Israelite started way back from their Journey from Egypt to Canaan. Their story stated from the story of Abraham, the man described to us in the Bible as the father of faith. His story and what happened in that story is written beginning Genesis 12. The children of Israelite are the descendant of Abraham, but in this time and place they were living in Egypt as a slave for 430 years. And in this time God came to deliver them out from Egypt to take them to Canaan to the place whet God promises to their father, Abraham. The story is long and fascinating and has many lessons and stories in between, but the purpose is to know their story and their journey to understand the point I am trying to make, looking beyond the River .

In the story God called Moses to take them out from Egypt through specific instruction and act of great word. Here comes a time where they (the children of Israelite) came to a point that Pharos, and the Egyptian were pursuing them and at the same time they face Red Sea before them. They were afraid and terrified at this point for they knew that the Egyptians are pursuing them, and they know they don’t have any way to cross the Red Sea This story is recorded in the book of Exodus, and the main part in Exodus 14. Read the whole story and you will be fascinated.

In the peak of the story, however we would learn that God did a miracle for he divided the Sea and help them to cross on a dry ground. That is very fascinating and powerful story with great lesson to learn from. The peak of the story is he divided the Red Sea and helped them to cross the River. What we can learn from the story before they cross the River was fear, uncertainty, confusion, murmuring, and all form of unbelief.

Here is the point to consider considering the story of the children of Israelite and their Journey, we need to trust God and look beyond the River for there is God who can do miracle and dived the sea. He is the same God who divided the Sea and help the children of Israelite cross the Red Sea. We have to remember he is the one who save our soul from the Enemy of our souls, Satan when we believe in the Gospel and baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of our sins.

We need to know, understand, and remember there is a God that can do wonderful things. We need to have faith and look beyond the River when we find ourselves in the situation where the children of Israelite were. We need to have faith and look beyond the River for there is victory and songs after crossing the River .

We need to look Beyond the River considering the provision, and the promise of God when we find ourselves in a situation that seems though and impossible to overcome. We need to look beyond the River when we find ourselves in a situation that seems hopeless, challenging for there is victory, great provision beyond the River .

Let’s compare the story of the children of Israelite and their Journey to Canaan and the story of believers (Christian’s ) . The children of Israelite cross the Red Sea believing the commandment and instruction of God at the beginning of their journey. In the same way we need to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and baptize in the name of Jesus to begin our journey. As the Israelite were delivered from Pharos and the Egyptians by crossing the Red Sea so as Christian’s who believe and baptized shall be saved from sin and Satan’s pursuit. As the Israelite left Egypt to inherit Canaan, so as Christian’s left the world to inherit the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

The children of Israelite must leave Egypt by performing the pass over and crossing the Red See to continue their Journey to Canaan. In the same way Christian’s having to repent and baptize in the name of Jesus for the remission of their sins to begin their journey to inherit the kingdom of God. This step is toughest stages in their long Journey, for at one point they find themselves in the most unknown, challenging, uncertain situation for they find themselves for Pharos and the Egyptians were following them and also the Red Sea were before them. This is the exact representation of the situation we could find ourselves when we decided to follow Jesus to inherit his kingdom for, we may face all the challenges and temptation of Satan, the enemy of our soul to take us back to the world, but when we believed and baptized, we crossed the River and the enemy has no power over us.

In short Exodus 14=Acts 2:38 for the first story and act is the first exact representation of the second story and act. Now, this is the other and main point to consider in the rest of the Journey. The children of Israelite had to Journey in the wilderness for 40 years before they crossed the Jourdan River to inherit Canaan. In the same way we must know and remember we are in the world walking with the hope of inheriting the kingdom of God at the end.

Therefore, we must learn from the story and Journey of the children of Israelite while we are Journeying to our destiny, which is the kingdom of God. We must know that we may face and encounter many situations and circumstance in our Journey as the Israelite faced many tough and challenging situation before they inherit Canaan.

These are some of the thoughts came to mind while I was asking questions, searching, and reflecting.

I thought the place they were before crossing the Red Sea, and before crossing the River Jordan is a tough place to be. I thought it’s a very tough, challenge place to be for there was fear, uncertainty, murmuring and unbelief. I thought it the same way for believers may find themselves in very tough, and challenging situation, we need to look beyond the River.

I thought as believers, as Christians we need to be people who can look beyond the River. We must be a people who should look beyond the River, beyond the challenges and the temptation of Satan. I believe as believers we need look beyond the flesh, beyond our natural capacity for we have a God who can do wonderful things if we believe in him.

I believe we need to look beyond all what is ahead of us, we need to look beyond the river for there is victory and song beyond the River if we don’t only see the Red Sea before us and the Egyptian who are after us. We need to believe that there is safety beyond the river, there is protection, provision, destiny beyond the river.

I believe we need to look beyond the River. We need to look beyond the River for we have God who wait for us beyond the river to guide us, provide us for all our need.

I believe we need to look beyond our situation, looking beyond what we face or encounter in our journey for there is destiny God has set for us. We need to look beyond the river and run the race with patience seeing what Jesus has done for us and what he promised us. I believe we need to run the race patiently leaving all what came to take us back as the writer of Hebrew encourage us saying , “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV

The fact is the Journey at times would not be easy for we may face challenges and temptations, we may find ourselves in lack of food and water, we may feel burned because of scorching sun. Let’s not murmur, complain as the children of Israelite did in the wilderness after they crossed the Red Sea . Let us runt is race with patience for there is a destiny, a place of safety and comfort beyond the River.

Let's fight a good fight of faith looking what is beyond the River for there I life beyond the River.

Looking beyond the River at times would not an easy thing, especially when we are in the flesh. It’s not easy especially when we are not strong in faith, when we are not strong in the Lord. However, looking beyond the River is possible when we look by faith not by sight as it was indicated we don’t live by sight, but by faith. Looking beyond the river is possible when we decided to trust the Lord in all our heart as we were instructed. Looking beyond is possible is possible if we can endure all the temptation and the nightmare that we may find ourselves into. Looking beyond is possible when we can see the Cross that Jesus Christ settled everything for the last time. Looking beyond is possible when we are able trust the Lord, him alone we worship. Looking beyond is possible when we have faith his word, and everything that is in his words. Looking beyond the River is possible when we decided to thank and worship God knowing who is. Looking beyond is possible when we are determined to fight with God to receive our blessing from God as Jacob did fight with God. Looking beyond is possible when we learn and understand the story of great men and women in the bible and what they were able to achieve through their faith. Looking beyond would be possible when we were able to look the story and characters of people like Moses, Joseph, and David. Looking beyond is possible when we are able to look beyond our situation and circumstances.

Looking beyond is possible when we are determined to hold what God has given us for, he has given us many great premises including everlasting life after passing the River . Looking beyond is possible when we decide to be a Christian at heart. Looking beyond is possible when we see and understand the provision of, when we know and understand he is the way the truth and life. God beyond is possible when we know and understand he is the One True God who created the heaven and the earth. Looking beyond is possible when are able to understand we are healed by his stripes as it was written. Looking beyond is possible when we know and understand........., looking beyond the River is possible when we know and understand his wonderful promises as it is written “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 KJV

Looking beyond is possible when we are able to look beyond our own capacity, fault, human nature and see God’s strength, power, mercy, his compassion, and his great love. We need to learn to look beyond The River for God is FAITHFULL.