Red Sea Moments

I got up early and headed to the roof of our hotel one morning in Aqaba.  The landscape was still soft and muted and quiet.  I sat there and stared out at the water and thought a lot about Moses.  I thought about his life, his calling, his fear, his knowledge.  He had doubts.  He had imperfections.  And yet, the Lord used him in MIRACULOUS ways.

When the call first came to Moses his response to the Lord was: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"  

How many times do we respond the same way when the Lord asks something difficult of us? Excuse me? Were you talking to me?  Come again?  You want me to do what?  Our minds instantly fill with thoughts of inadequacies, weaknesses, imperfections, fears and memories of past failures.

But then come the comforting words, "Certainly I will be with thee... when ye go, ye shall not go empty... I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."

We are never alone.  The Lord is always with us as we seek to do His will.  And He has not sent us empty.  We have been given power through covenants, knowledge through scripture and revelation and past experience, unique abilities through talents, support through friends and family.  As we bend to His will we are able to be the window through which others see Him.  It is in fact our weaknesses and imperfections that allow others and ourselves to realize that it could not possiply have been US who accomplished something so perfect and beautiful.  Our weaknesses are the very things that point us and those around us to God.  We testify of His mercy and perfection through our flawed attempts to accomplish His purposes.  And so I'm okay with my temporary shortcomings.  Not just becuase I know that He will fill in the gaps but because it is in those things that He is able to show His power to the world.  It is one way that we are able to daily testify of Him, His Grace, His Love and His Power.

The children of Israel were finally freed from slavery after years of trials and prayers.  But they started to panic as soon as they saw the Red Sea ahead of them and the armies of Pharaoh behind them.  It really must have been a terrifying situation.  "They were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.  And they said unto Moses... hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?... It had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

How many times do we do the same thing?!  Yay, I finally received that blessing I've been praying for but wait... take it back!  I can't handle this!  I didn't realize how it would complicate things.  What in the world am I supposed to do now?  In their fear, the children of Israel forgot about all of the miracles that led them there. We too at times can be guilty of forgetting the assistance the Lord has given to us in past trials.  We run around in frantic circles, wringing our hands, pointing fingers, complaining, doubting and feeling utterly forgotten by God. 

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day... the Lord shall fight for you... go forward."

I love those words: Fear NOT!  Stop panicking.  The Lord shall fight for you!  He will fight for us! Take a deep breath.  Go forward! They might have been thinking... "um, did you say forward?  What about all that water?!"  Sometimes it is hard to see the way out of our current situations.  We feel stuck.  Claustrophobic.  And wonder how in the world we will get out of the mess in front of us and behind us.  We wrack our worldly brains.  We develop a game plan... Build a boat?  Swim for it?  Fight?  Scream?  Play dead?  But then all of a sudden comes the heavenly solution. 

"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... and the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."

And in that moment we are able to see clearly that we are indeed in His hands.  That He had a plan all along.  With dropped jaws and wide eyes and full hearts we go forward, full of faith and confidence in His grace and mercy.

We all have our own Red Sea moments.  Moments when we sit on the shore and wonder how things will ever work out.  We might feel that all is lost.  We might feel fear or regret or worry. But we aren't on that beach alone.  We have Almighty God at our side and on our side.  He has PROMISED to fight for us!  Sometimes we will have to build a boat or swim but He will give us the strength and ability to do so.  Sometimes He parts the sea in our behalf.  He has promised that he will not forsake us.  And so in all our imperfect glory we step onto our rickety boat or onto dry ground and glorify our perfect God.