TRAPPED! Jack Trieber

TRAPPED!

Dr. Jack Trieber
Pastor of North Valley Baptist Church
President of Golden State Baptist College
Santa Clara, California

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

“For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so.”—Exod. 14:1–4.

The word trapped is not in the text, but immediately you can see how it pictures the truth of verse 3: “They are entangled in the land.” They were trapped! Now your mind may go to some area in your life where you are or were and you did not know where to turn! Trapped!

Many pastors are in that spot right now and are wondering, How do I go on? I can’t take another step. The struggle that I’m facing is so great that I think it best for everyone that I just resign as pastor. I’m still going to serve God but not in this pulpit.

I. TRAPPED

Preacher, maybe the attendance and the offerings are so low that your church is on the verge of collapsing. Maybe other problems in your church seem insurmountable. You feel trapped.

Husband and wife, maybe you are struggling in your marriage. Some Christian wives are so physically depleted and worn out that fatigue is affecting every area of their lives. The Devil comes to you and says that you are worthless and no good and that you don’t deserve your marriage or even to serve in your church. He convinces you that you are the problem and that maybe things would be better if you weren’t around. You feel trapped.

Children, your parents are separating or divorcing, and you feel trapped.

Church staff member, maybe you are discouraged in your service to the Lord. You feel trapped.

Church member, maybe you are distressed because of your finances, your health or other things. You feel trapped.

Parents, you did all you could for your children—family prayers, family altar, Bible reading, Christian schooling—but instead of turning out to live for God, they are not living for Him. You feel trapped.

Every single morning I make sure that I meet with God. I spend time in my Bible and with my prayer journal, and I talk and walk with Him. I have three wonderful grown children and grandchildren, and they’re all living for God. I thank God for that, but there are times when I walk into the pulpit and my feet are dragging—not backslidden, mad at God or the world, but I feel overwhelmed and trapped.

The truth is that sometimes we trap ourselves. But sometimes God deliberately traps us even though He’s not displeased with us. Still we are shut in. We can’t go left or right; we can’t go frontward or backward. We are trapped!

It’s an amazing thing how this story we just read about the Israelites is going to be the pivotal story throughout the Bible. Hundreds of years into the future the prophets will still be writing about it.

Nehemiah, as he builds that great wall, says that God “heardest their cry by the Red sea” (Neh. 9:9).

Psalm 136:13 refers to how God “divided the Red sea into parts.”

Isaiah talks about Him “which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over” (Isa. 51:10).

Joshua talks about this story: “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea” (Josh. 2:10).

Nahum says, “He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry” (Nah. 1:4).

Jeremiah, who had a forty-year ministry with zero results, talks about this: “The noise thereof was heard in the Red sea” (Jer. 49:21).

Life pivots many times on one decision and one event. My life pivoted on a decision I made over fifty years ago when God took me from darkness into the light.

My life pivoted on December 23, 1972, when God gave me my wife; and we have been serving God together ever since. That simple “I do” changed my whole life.

My life pivoted when God allowed me to be pastor of North Valley Baptist Church. Before our church was one year old, we had grown from twenty people to four hundred. Before we were two years old, we had over six hundred; then we had over nine hundred before we were three years old.

Notice what God says: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn.” There was no human way for them to escape. Two million Jews were going one way until God said, ‘Turn this way.’ When they turned, they came up to a body of water with no bridge, no canoes, no barge—no way to get across. Everything was caving in on them.

“And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.”

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.”—Exod. 14:8,10.

“O God! We’re trapped! The Egyptians are behind us, the water is before us, and we’re shut in on both sides. What do we do?”

II. GOD’S FORMULA FOR OVERCOMING FEAR

“Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see.”—Exod. 14:13.

When you are trapped between Pharaoh and the Red Sea, remember that there is a God! In verse 13, He gives us a little formula for when we feel trapped.

“Fear Not”

When fear enters in, faith moves out; and God can never reward fear. That’s why dozens of times in the Bible we are told not to fear. When fear replaces faith, it is impossible to please God.

All things are possible with God—even getting across that sea, even defeating that army, even going a different way if it’s God’s way.

God came to Abraham and said, “Fear not” (Gen. 15:1). God came to Gideon and said, “Fear not” (Judg. 6:23). God said to Joshua, Isaiah, Daniel and even to the little flock, “Fear not.”

We fear so much. We bite our nails; we’re nervous about everything. But God says two little words: “Fear not.”

Everyone thinks he’s in the greatest trap; it’s worse than everybody else’s. His fear becomes so much bigger than he is, but God still says, “Fear not.”

“Stand Still”

This second part of God’s formula is not easy to do. He says, “Stand still.” He is saying, ‘Stop trying to figure it all out. Just stand still.’

The Israelites thought, By our calculations, we have one minute to put a two-by-four into the water to help us get across. But God said, “Stand still.”

One of the most difficult things for us to do is to wait on God. “Wait on the Lord…wait, I say, on the Lord” (Ps. 27:14).

“Oh, I’ve got to go see a lawyer about this one!” No, just “stand still.”

“I’m going into that pastor’s office, and I’m going to tell him what’s what!” No, just “stand still.”

“What those teenagers do and what they say about my kids—I’m going to handle this one.” No, just “stand still.”

When you can’t turn around and go back, when you can’t go forward, when you can’t turn to the left or the right—you’re trapped—just “stand still.”

Get alone with God in your prayer closet. You beg Him, “Lord, I think I have this figured out. I’m trying to help You, God, if You’d just listen.” No, just “stand still” and listen to God. “But, I’ve got a plan.” No, just “stand still.”

God’s entire formula for overcoming fear when you are trapped contains only five words: “Fear ye not, stand still.” In today’s words, “chill out” and stop trying to figure it out on your own.

Sometimes God allows people to work against you because He is working for you.

“I’d like to change my wife!” Oh, brother, “stand still”!

“I’d like to change my husband!” Oh, sister, “stand still”!

We marry the one we love and then spend the rest of our lives trying to change him or her. Have you ever thought that maybe God is using your spouse to try to change you?

“See”

I’ve been at the same church for over thirty years. The Lord has done a lot, and He hast a lot more in store for us, but I have to take care of my part.

I have to “fear…not”; I have to “stand still.” When I have done those things, then God will come through with His one word for me: “See.”

III. “SEE” WHAT GOD WILL DO

The problem is that we want to “see” without the “fear…not” or the “stand still.”

“The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”—Exod. 14:14,15.

It’s not about our name; it’s all about God’s name. Look at verse 18:

“And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.”

Notice what the Bible says in verse 21:

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”

It wasn’t his figuring, his calculations, his engineering; it was the Lord who divided the waters. All that night the sea was made dry land.

“The Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.”

“The children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”

“And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians.”—Vss. 25,29,31.

Right now you could be in the biggest trap of your life—maybe you did it to yourself; maybe God turned you into it—but it’s not the time to quit; it’s not the time to accuse; it’s not the time to throw in the towel; it’s not the time to ask, “God, where are You? Why aren’t You listening to me?”

It is the time to say, “All right, I’ll use Your formula, God. I will ‘fear…not,’ I will ‘stand still,’ and then I’ll ‘see.’”

A merchant was so nervous about his business that he convinced himself that his financial problems and life in general were so stressful that he was going to die. He had such anxiety, such fear, such dismay that he checked himself into a hospital.

Saturday night he wrote a farewell letter to his wife and five-year-old child, but to his amazement he was still alive on Sunday morning. He was surprised that he was alive and had lived through the night. He saw the sunrise, and he heard people singing outside in the hallway.

Be not dismayed whate’er betide; God will take care of you.
Beneath His wings of love abide; God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you.
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

All you may need He will provide; God will take care of you.
Nothing you ask will be denied; God will take care of you.
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you.
Lean, weary one, upon His breast; God will take care of you.

God will take care of you, Through every day, o’er all the way.
He will take care of you; God will take care of you.

—Civilla D. Martin

That merchant’s life was changed when he realized that God would take care of him. He gave his heart to Christ, and then he founded a store that is now known around the world: J. C. Penney.

“Oh, Brother Trieber, I’m a pastor; but I feel so trapped.”