Forward Where?
By Elin Henderson
“Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.”
Psalms 77:18 (NKJV)
Here’s the scenario: Moses and the nation of Israel are finally free from tyranny; they set off on this great Exodus and, before too long, are faced with an obstacle of enormous size. They’ve just seen God work innumerous miracles to set them free, and here they face their first challenge. Will He come through for them once again?By Elin Henderson
“Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.”
Psalms 77:18 (NKJV)
Before them lies the Red Sea - - a huge natural obstacle. Hot on their heels comes the enemy, the army of Pharaoh, dead set on capturing them and taking them back to Egypt! They cry out to the Lord and to Moses… one of those “What have You gotten us into?!” cries.
What is God’s response? “Don’t cry to me, just go forward.” I can only imagine Moses and Israelites saying, “Forward where??!! Does the word ‘SEA’ mean anything to You, Lord?!” Yet despite their unbelief and incredulity, they move forward, and God opens a way in the midst of the great waters! They pass through on dry land and then the seas swallow up Pharaoh’ armies. The story ends with, “Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).
Have you ever been standing before your Red Sea with the enemy quickly closing in from behind? No place to go, no place to run, humanly speaking, and God says “Forward ho!”… to which you reply “Forward where?” There doesn’t seem to be a way, yet He wants to show you His power and His might. One of those “Stand still and see the Salvation of the LORD!” moments! While they are frightening and stretching for our faith, having gone through them, we would never have had it any other way! Our faith grows and our spiritual eyes see what He can do when we rest in Him and His provision! Each trial we go through helps grow our faith, which can then be applied to our next trial and our next, so on and so forth.
So next time you find yourself between “a rock and a hard place”… or a sea and an army, and you hear the still small voice of the Lord say “Forward!” may your growing faith allow you to step out into the great waters of life and see His salvation unfold before you!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Can you think of any Red Sea experiences you have had that have grown your faith in Him? What did you learn; how can you apply that to any current struggles you are facing?
2. With whom can you share those prior experiences and the lessons you learned?
FURTHER READING:
Exodus 14:20-31; II Chronicles 20:17; Isaiah 33:2; Revelation 19:1b
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and eight-year-old Elias.
