Feel The Red Sea Rush

If you’re fond of the Exodus journey like me, you must have known the ”Red Sea” story. In biblical terms, it was the great expedition Moses ever led from Egypt. Reading those chapters from his second book is ultimately fascinating! 

Geographically, the Red Sea lies between Africa and Asia. It is one of the four seas named in English after common color terms — the others being the Black Sea, the White Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Red Sea is a direct translation of the Greek Erythra Thalassa (Ερυθρὰ Θάλασσα) and Latin Mare Rubrum (alternatively Sinus Arabicus, literally "Arabian Gulf")

In the Old Testament, Israelites suffered from the bondage of Egypt. It was God who called Moses to rescue His chosen people out of the difficulties. The Israelites were happy to know that God will save them but on their journey, they lost hope and faith. There were murmurings, fights and relentless complaints. Even in God’s provision, the sense of thankfulness was of no value for them. According to Harold J. Sala’s book, ‘Finding Refuge and Strength’, crossing to the Red Sea was one of the most spectacular, yet the toughest times in the Bible. Not only Moses or the Israelites have experienced difficulties, but it is present in every corner of our life as well. In my case, being unemployed and waiting for God’s will is tough. Reading Exodus gave me a new sense of hope to the Red Sea that I am facing and I pray that you will, too, find God’s comfort in these statements taken from my daily devotional book of Dr. Sala:

It is comforting to know that the God who led you into the place of difficulty is the same one who ultimately will lead you out. Moses would have agreed with that statement, or at least in retrospect. On the day that he had mountains on one side, the Red Sea on another, and the army of Egypt behind him, he might not have been so sure. Robert J. Morgan, in his book, ”The Red Sea Rules”, lists 10 rules that help you get through a tough place.

Rule 1: Realize that God means for you to be where you are. When difficulty strikes, we often think that God has abandoned us, forgotten us, or forsaken us, or else the problem would not be confronting us. God, however, had led Israel into a cul-de-sac of trouble.

Rule 2: Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief. Believing that all sickness was the result of sin, the Pharisees once confronted Jesus over the issue of a man who had been born blind. ”Who sinned? This man or his parents?” they asked Jesus. ”Neither this man nor his parents sinned, ” said Jesus, ”but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3).

Rule 3: Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the LORD. With Egypt’s army behind them, there was nowhere to go-nowhere, that is, until God made a way through the Red Sea. ”But that can’t happen,” you think. But God doesn’t know that! Nothing is impossible with Him.

Rule 4: Pray. Is that enough? Sometimes that’s all you can do. Until you have prayed, you have not done your part.

Rule 5: Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work. There might be instances when God lets us face difficulties just long enough for us to realize that if He doesn’t part the waters, we’re finished.

Rule 6: When unsure, take the next logical step by faith. Scripture tells us, ”The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward”’ (Exodus 14:15), and this was before the waters parted. When Israel crossed the Jordan a generation later, the waters didn’t part until the sole of the priest’s foot had stepped in them.

Rule 7: Envision God’s enveloping presence. The angel of the Lord led Israel with a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Does God still do that sort of thing today? Many people-those who have experienced His hand of direction-would say without hesitation, ”Yes!”.

Rule 8: Trust God to deliver (you) in His own unique way. ”Many are the afflictions of the righteous,” said David, ”but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

Rule 9: View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. We find the word remember in so many places in Scripture. We forget what should be remembered, and remember what should be forgotten.

Rule 10: Don’t forget to praise Him. God looks for the words ”Thank You!”. The Red Sea rules still work today. Don’t forget to praise Him for deliverance.

Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace.

What’s your RED SEA experience? We don’t have to cross it alone, God is with us and He’s ready to part the waters of our difficulty.  :) 

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