RED-SEA MOMENTS
I sat in our backyard, my face buried in my hands. I was saying goodbye to the home where our children had grown up and we had lived for seventeen years. In an effort to be good stewards, we had borrowed against our equity, but our investments went south. Now the bank was foreclosing on our loan. I felt ashamed—a failure—like a baseball player who struck out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded in the World Series.
But God loves to come through at our worst moments. These circumstances opened a door for us to buy a two-unit house in the country with our daughter and her family. Years later, I still live next-door and enjoy my grandkids every day, as well as the blessings of country living. God turned our tragedy into triumph. He loves to come through at our worst possible moments.
The Israelites discovered this truth as they stood facing the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in behind them. They literally had nowhere to go. Then Moses told them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today …The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14). Like Israel, when faced with a crisis we can’t solve, stand firm and wait on the Lord.
We all face our unique “Red-Sea moments.” We stare ahead at an immense sea, we can’t cross with an army of Egyptians breathing down our necks. An impossible situation from which only God can rescue us. If God doesn’t intervene, we’re dead meat. But God loves to come through at our worst possible moments.
God’s not limited by time or space. Isaiah 42:9 states, “I will tell you the future before it happens.” Long before we face a crisis, God has a plan in place to deliver us. He’s always working behind the scenes to bring it about.
I encourage you to keep a journal with a list of “Red Sea moments”—when a situation seemed impossible, but God came through. I’ve recorded around two dozen such examples, some involving the supernatural; others which seemed small, but had momentous results. Perusing this list can be a real faith-booster.
Our God is the same God who led the Israelites across the Red Sea, and he still loves to come through at our worst possible moments.
Principle: God loves to come through at our worst possible moments.
Ponder:
How does meditating on your list of “Red Sea moments” increase your faith?
What potential Red-Sea moments might you be facing?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Exodus 14.
Almighty God, thank you for promising to help me through my worst possible moments. Please increase my faith so that I trust you during those times.