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| 20th anniversary of Lenny Kravitz’s hit ‘Fly Away’ |
By Ta-ning Connai
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of a song that broke down barriers between Rock and R&B simply by coining a popular lyric we’ve all sang at least once or twice in our lives. Lenny Kravitz is the King of Cool and when he brazenly strung his guitar while chanting “I want to get away” back in 1998, he had no idea that both Headbangers and Hip-Hop Heads alike would give homage to the words from Fly Away in over 50+ songs (whew, I literally got tired of counting). And in 2010, he even stumbled upon the Voices of Praise Choir belting out a churchy version on the streets of New Orleans! No, he didn’t exactly invent the term, but he sure as heck made it his own. Lenny, you da man!
When Moses and his enslaved people were given the miraculous news that freedom had finally arrived, they were greeted with an insurmountable obstacle that literally took their breath away. With their ferocious captors chasing behind them and the Red Sea violently tossing before them, it’s an understatement to say they were in a jam. Death surrounded them on either side and it was nearly impossible to decide which would be the most painless surrender. It’s like choosing between being hung or drowned, being shot or stabbed, falling off of a cliff or breaking a bungee cord! Sorry to be so graphic, but you get my point. And I’m sure we can all agree, all these options suck BIG TIME. Yet there they stood, paralyzed with fear, facing what looked like doom and gloom.
Now here’s the confusing part…since God is the one who gave them the ok AND the directions for their Exodus (departure), didn’t He know there was a roadblock up ahead??? How in the world were they going to get out of this alive? Well, in Exodus 14 :13, check out what Moses had to say in response to their mass hysteria…
“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians (enemies/obstacles) whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” – Exodus 14: 14-15. Enough said! So they went in the direction of The Promised Land with God’s promise in hand.
Egypt was a type and shadow of a tremendous burden that the Israelites had to overcome. Many of them were born into hardship, and had never experienced independence before, let alone had to fight for it. Their mindset was of such that slavery had its perks, while freedom had its struggles and uncertainties. As you can see, it was more than literal chains that had to be broken off of this pitiful little bunch. And that’s why God put them between a rock and a hard place. It forced them to trust in Him. His final word of encouragement helped them to KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Now, because of their demonstration of faith, God was willing to perform the greatest miracle ever recorded…the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14: 21-22).
Sometimes God allows hurdles, haters, bum deals, bad news, problems and even pain to thrust us out of our comfort zone and into the place where He wants us to thrive. The Israelites had to be chased out of Egypt in order for them to get up and go. You’d think they’d be happy to be free, to live in their own land, to provide for themselves. But how many of us stayed “enslaved” even though there were no literal chains keeping us bound? Hey, it happens to the best of us. But now it’s time to get away.
So the key is, when you’re between that rock and that hard place, go in the direction of God’s promise no matter how scary it seems. Get far, far away from things like abuse, unhappiness and mediocrity and run towards the peace, joy and sure reward that God had in mind. When it seems impossible to get away, He can create a way of escape and guide you on a path toward complete freedom and victory, never to return to those old bondages again. Remind yourself of God’s love and willingness to help you by reading His book of promises (the Bible). If He can part the Red Sea, what can He NOT do!
