“As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” ¹³ But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”    –Exodus 14:10-13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Many of us have heard the story of Moses and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea (or Reed Sea rather). Well, just before their miraculous escape, heated words were exchanged (vs. 11-12). They had done as God commanded through His servant Moses, leaving Egypt and were now trapped, possibly facing a violent death. Pharaoh and his army were hot on their trails, and a massive body of water lay before them. Initially they cried out to the Lord, but when they did not see immediate intervention, they went postal on Moses for meddling in their lives. They were tripping, right? Easy for us to say.

Oftentimes we are extremely critical of our predecessors. We read their stories and hear of their wavering, then make big claims of our grandiose faith. “If I were them I would’ve trusted God!” “If I would’ve witnessed the ten plagues I would not have doubted the power of God at all.” Full of big talk! Whatever! Consider your own life. In crunches, when it seems you are stuck between a rock and a hard place (or an Egyptian army and a body of water), how have you responded?  You could be acting according to the will of God-leaving Egypt, yet you encounter problems.  

Initially we  demonstrate faith, but after time continues without any change, our faith begins to diminish. We start to freak out. We start to panic. It is a natural progression; however, our faith in the Lord should exceed our carnal inclinations.

As Moses proclaimed “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today.” God is faithful,even when we are not faithful- even we give in to those carnal inclinations to freak out. He is not like us, early or late. He acts in perfect timing. Focus on His everlasting love for you! Think about how He rescued the complaining, indignant, and annoying Israelites from the enclosing Egyptian army. He will do the same for crazy you. He doesn’t rescue us because we are perfect and without faults. He rescues us because of His lovingkindness! The same grace the Israelites received then, is the same grace we experience now. Know that God is for you (if you are His). Stand still. Be patient. Take a deep breath. He is coming to rescue you. He’ll part that sea just in time!

-Danielle Moses