Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds? I mean, seriously. The Yam Suph (Sea of Reeds) lay in front of them and Egypt's army was closing in behind them. They knew that there was no way for them to get across the sea, and even though hundreds of thousands strong, were probably no match for Pharaoh's charioteers and foot soldiers.
Then God said, "What are you waiting for? Go!" I would have wanted to ask, "And God just where exactly are we supposed to go? Have you noticed what's going on here? Seriously?"
...and poor Moses, bless his heart (You can say just about anything about just about anybody in Western KY if you follow it with 'Bless their heart.' At least that's what I'm told, bless my heart.) Poor Moses, if you remember, didn't want to do this in the first place; but no, God said that he was the one. Remember the whole burning bush scene? Now, here he is...600,000 angry men and their angry wives and kids...Pharaoh behind them, and a sea in front. Now what, God?
Moses tries to comfort the folks and calm them down some, but evidently it's not working very well. Then God does it, and I love this..."What are you crying to me for? Tell them to move on! Here's what's going to happen; you're going to raise your staff over the water, the wind's going to start blowing, the water is going to separate so that dry ground appears and you...and all of them...are going to walk across on dry land. Then, check this out. I'm going to put it in Pharaoh's mind that he still has a chance, he's going to chase after you. After you get to the other side, you're going to hold your staff up again, the wind's going to stop blowing, and bye-bye army."
Here's what bothers me, though. We are separated by this story by several thousand years, so it has become almost tame, and we have lost the "Wow!" factor of what went on there. What amazes me is that we have just about convinced ourselves that God just does not move like that anymore, so we don't expect it.
We say to God, "You know, that's a really cool story and I'm proud that it worked out for them...but let me tell you what I'm going through." Then it's not Pharaoh's army that swallows us up, but instead it's doubt..."what if"..."I can't"..."but you don't understand"..."those things never work for me"...and, "I just don't see how."
What if that first Israelite had not taken that first step onto that dry sea bed? We say we believe, but we don't always act like we believe. Saying it is one thing. Doing something about it is totally different.
Here is my prayer. I pray that God asks you to do something you absolutely don't think you can do. I pray that God places just enough obstacles in the way so that you (and I) will be totally dependent on not what we can do, but what God can do with us, through us, and even in spite of us. I pray that as you (and I) yield to God's will, the impossible becomes the possible.
Peace,
Jamie
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