Summary
Introduction – the story of Ken from Hope for the Island. Marc reads the story of Ken. A young man from the Philippines. Who faced many adversities and how God changed his life.
The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt – Marc gives a quick summary of the Exodus. Then he reads from Exodus 13, which chronicled the experiences of the Israelites while they fled from the chasing Egyptians. Marc calls this a “red sea moment.” A red sea moment is marked by great adversity in which we cannot see a way out.
Either our adversity will define us, or God will refine us. God is always present, even when we feel he is absent. The Israelites even contemplated returning to slavery because they could not see how God was in control. They believed they were alone — even though He was there in the form of a pillar fire. They had lost their awe and wonder of God. His presence had become commonplace.
In red sea moments we are to be still and also move forward – “Being still” means to give up control and rely on God. We need to give up our self sufficiency and lean on God (Prov 3:5, Ps 46:10, Philippians 4:13). “Move forward” is a step of faith into God’s provision. He asks us to take action. For the Israelites, God would do the miracle but the people would need to be ready to take action.
During the service a video played where Karen Kinna, Marc’s wife, discusses her Fibromyalgia and how she went on a mission trip to the Philippines, and how her favourite verse is Exodus 14:14.
Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia
Hope for the Island
About the speaker
Marc Kinna is a partner at SouthRidge and serves on our board. He is the husband to Karen Kinna, father of three children, and an avid blogger. Check out his blog here. And be sure to check out his blog post entitled “Steps of Faith in Red Sea Moments.”