In my daily bible reading, I started a few days ago reading through Exodus. I got to the part where Moses and the people of God walk across the bottom of the Red Sea. God causes a wind to build up the waters on each side of the people, so that they are literally walking on the sea bed. When the Egyptians try to do the same, confusion occurs and the Egyptians end up drowning.
When you look at the story, you realize that God deliberately leads them in such a way that they appear to the Egyptians to be "wandering aimlessly". The Egyptians go after the Israelites and think that because the sea is to their back and they are trapped. But, God uses the moment to both judge the Egyptians and to bring glory to His own name. When the people cry out to God because they see the Egyptians coming the Lord literally tells them to stop praying and start moving.
The story reminds us that God wants to use those situations in our lives that appear difficult to bring glory to himself. He wants us to cry out to him at times. But, there is also definite times when we need to rise up and move out. Not to act at some points is a sign of a lack of faith. God give us the wisdom to know when it is time to get off our knees and move.
I see no sense of panic in Moses though the people are clearly in a panic. This will not be the last time they respond with a lack of faith. There are at least 10 different times when the people of God accuse Moses of drawing them out to the desert to kill them by hunger or/and thirst. One of these times Moses says they are close to stoning him to death. It appears having seen all of the great miracles that God did in Egypt they learned nothing from that. I have to say that while I might sound like I am accusing them, I also have times when my faith is weak and I doubt. Sometimes I feel like I am wandering around aimlessly too. I have moment of self defeating doubt also.
Though the Israelites have not done anything to deserve it, the cloud that represents God's presence gets between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Only two adults that day will end up walking into the promise land out of the 600,000 reported to have been there. Only Joshua and Caleb will end up making the whole journey. Everyone else that is an adult will end up dying off within the next 40 years. They didn't do anything to earn this deliverance of God. But, thank God that God had mercy on them. I pray that God also has mercy on me when I question or fail to walk by faith. I thank God that he is a forgiving God and patient with me.
When you look at the story, you realize that God deliberately leads them in such a way that they appear to the Egyptians to be "wandering aimlessly". The Egyptians go after the Israelites and think that because the sea is to their back and they are trapped. But, God uses the moment to both judge the Egyptians and to bring glory to His own name. When the people cry out to God because they see the Egyptians coming the Lord literally tells them to stop praying and start moving.
The story reminds us that God wants to use those situations in our lives that appear difficult to bring glory to himself. He wants us to cry out to him at times. But, there is also definite times when we need to rise up and move out. Not to act at some points is a sign of a lack of faith. God give us the wisdom to know when it is time to get off our knees and move.
I see no sense of panic in Moses though the people are clearly in a panic. This will not be the last time they respond with a lack of faith. There are at least 10 different times when the people of God accuse Moses of drawing them out to the desert to kill them by hunger or/and thirst. One of these times Moses says they are close to stoning him to death. It appears having seen all of the great miracles that God did in Egypt they learned nothing from that. I have to say that while I might sound like I am accusing them, I also have times when my faith is weak and I doubt. Sometimes I feel like I am wandering around aimlessly too. I have moment of self defeating doubt also.
Though the Israelites have not done anything to deserve it, the cloud that represents God's presence gets between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Only two adults that day will end up walking into the promise land out of the 600,000 reported to have been there. Only Joshua and Caleb will end up making the whole journey. Everyone else that is an adult will end up dying off within the next 40 years. They didn't do anything to earn this deliverance of God. But, thank God that God had mercy on them. I pray that God also has mercy on me when I question or fail to walk by faith. I thank God that he is a forgiving God and patient with me.
