feeling discomfort, questioning God's plan, and crossing on dry land.
No sooner does God step in and rescue the Israelites, commanding them to "remember this day"....(Exodus 13:3)
they forget.
Rescued from slavery, they quickly forget how bad it was. And because they forget, they begin to fear. And because they fear, they begin to doubt. Doesn't matter He parted the sea. PARTED THE SEA. (I mean, really...sit with that for a while. Imagine it. It's crazy.) Doesn't matter He provided a cloud of protection by day and a column of fire by night. (again. Picture that. CRAZY.) The moment they began to feel discomfort...they started to grumble and complain like a toddler on a long car ride, and demanded to know... WHY?
Why did YOU do this to us?
WHY did you bring us out of Egypt?
Seriously, If you were God would you not be thinking, are you kidding me?
A "why mind-set" was the Israelites biggest obstacle.
Not the sea.
Not the thirst.
Not the hunger.
"Why?", you ironically ask?
Because their WHY kept them from God's HOW.
Because HOW should have been what they were asking.
After the miraculous way God had already rescued them time and time again, the only question they needed to ask and ponder should have been...how will the Lord save us now? And not in a sarcastic way, like some people I know might ask, and by some people, yes, I mean myself...but in a confident and joyful expectation kind of way; a FEAR replaced by HOPE sort of way. A Mary at the Annunciation kind of way that does not question God's ability to make this or that happen, but a certainty born out of radical trust that simply asks to be shown how to cooperate with His spectacular plan.
WHY keeps us in chains.
HOW frees us.
WHY keeps us in a false sense of control.
HOW teaches us to surrender.
You might be standing on the shore right now, staring at a sea of trial and tribulation, wondering why on earth did you put me here God, asking how long will this last, and thinking to yourself, if I could only go back. I have been in this exact spot on this very shore, myself. For years I asked WHY. And I have come to learn this. For as long as I ask WHY and question God's plan, I remain stuck on the shore. It is only when I recall His past rescue, and push through the discomfort, that I am able to stand my ground. And when I do that? Fear gives way to trust, rocks split open, and waters part. It is not so much about God removing that sea of chaos before me, as it is in trusting in Him enough to believe that if I step out in faith, I will walk on dry land. I will see victory. Not somewhere down the line in the far off future when the trial is over. But in the midst of it all.
Everyone is familiar with the verse in Exodus that commands us to be still and let God fight our battle. But I prefer the verse just before that:
"Fear not! Stand your ground, and you WILL see the victory the Lord WILL win for you TODAY." Exodus 14:13
So stand your ground, sweet friend.
He promises victory today.
Remember the rescue, and push through the discomfort, stepping out into the sea, crossing on dry land.
