Red Sea Moments

"Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and His people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in Him." Psalm 66:5-6

Can you imagine standing on the shore that day? This is not a little stream of water; this is the Red Sea for goodness' sake. Can you even begin to contemplate the courage it took for some of those people to take those initial steps of faith and then continue walking? Were they taken tentatively or tenaciously? I for one certainly would be hurrying. Yet, even as I write that, why would I rush? Do I not believe God will watch over me until I reach the other side? Do I only think He'll take me half-way to His promised land? God made a pathway through the impossible and led them safely to their destination.

Maybe today, you are standing on a shore of a "Red Sea". Not one boat is tied to the dock. No other options ahead. Sea billows round you roll. You feel stuck on the shore without any solution as to how you will cross over to victory. You know others have made the journey ahead of you and trusted in the unseen, but your faith is weak and your fear is strong. You have reached a crisis point and a moment of decision. You stand alone. There is only one way to the other side.

God.

Red Sea moments frighten us because it is at these times, we come face-to-face with a truth that calls for surrender. We realize anew that we are not in control. We stand humbled in the presence of a mighty God and all our words are put to the test. Will we believe that God is able to carry us safely to the other side?

Red Sea moments are crossroads. Will our faith become action? These pathways have tremendous purpose. They put us in a position where we must answer the question, can God be trusted? When everything around us looks completely insurmountable, will we relinquish ourselves and our situation into God's hands?

Red Sea moments are often places of suffering. Much agony travels with us as our accompanying companion. Later in Psalm 66 we read, "We went through fire and flood, but You brought us to a place of great abundance." Our "feet" can burn from the intensity of the flame we encounter as we traverse these roads. Hope can be threatened when around us the "water" level rises, desiring to suffocate. While waiting to see what God will do, in the heat of the blaze, the hot coals singe our thoughts with panic. However, all we go through brings us to a place of rich fulfillment. God's greatness is birthed in pain.

Peter jumped out of a boat.

Daniel did not compromise.

Esther asked to see the King.

A mother and her son collected all their cooking pots.

A father kept his eyes fixed on the horizon.

A young woman believed.

What step of faith do we need to take from our shore today? A Red Sea is waiting to divide.