Parting the Sea – Hitting Rewind and Play

The miracle at the sea.

One of my favorite events in the Bible is the crossing of the Red Sea. God moved miraculously and did something no one expected. When His people were between a rock and a hard place, He made a way. He always makes a way. The path through might not be what we envisioned or what we hoped for, but He always comes through.

The struggle in life is that it is to remember the good when we focus on the bad. We are just like the Israelites. When things got tough, they forgot to hit rewind and play. Instead, they looked around at their circumstances and complained. When the Egyptian army was behind them and the sea before them, they complained to Moses:  “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die?!” 

Moses replied, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still. Watch what He is going to do.” In other words, stop complaining and shut your mouth. Watch and see what God is going to do in this moment.

They should have hit rewind and play. They would have remembered that God produced ten plagues to let His people go. They would have remembered how their Egyptian neighbors plied them with plenty to speed them on their way. Indeed, so soon they forgot that every one of their firstborn was alive today. But no, they looked at the army behind them and the sea before them, and complained. We are just like they were. 

In moments when things are uncertain, when the news is not what we hoped, this is what we must do: hit rewind – and play the faithfulness of God.

press Rewind 

Today marks the anniversary of the 14-foot fall Dave took off a roof in 2004. That event became a red sea for us, and we watched as God – without any help from us – parted that sea in front of us and made a way through the unknown of financial duress. He moved people to send us money that paid our bills, and gave grace to pur family as we navigated the changes in our lives. We came through that experience stronger as a family and stronger in our faith. Would I have chosen that red sea? Are you kidding? Am I grateful for what we experienced, learned, and benefitted? You betcha.

In the ensuing 19 years, God has continually parted red seas for us. I know beyond a doubt He has done the same for you. You will know it, too, if you take the time to hit rewind and play.

Some of those red sea partings seemed insignificant, yet looking back, we see how He came through again and again. Other tempests brought winds that stormed out of nowhere, leaving us blindsided by the disaster left in their wake. From some of those storms, we are still picking up debris today. You know what we find in picking up debris? The faithfulness of God. He is always faithful.

Press play

David did that in the Psalms. God Himself recounted His faithfulness to all generations in scripture.

What we need to do, when we feel forgotten, is hit rewind and play. Rewind to the parts of your past where you felt hopeless. Hit play. Rewind to the sections that were difficult or horrible. Recount the treasures from God as you hit play. Remember again those times God came through.

When others let us down, when the diagnosis is not what we hoped, when we have experienced loss beyond belief, God is faithful. He is always, always there. Hit rewind and play and remember that He is good. He is always good.

More about our red sea story

If you want to read more about that event and our own personal Red Sea of 2004, you can click on the links below. We promised God that we will never forget. So we continue to hit rewind and play.

First Things First: Just Hush!

 

Our Promise: We Will Never Forget

A Red Sea of Our Own – Guest Post