TRUSTING GOD MORE THAN TRUSTING WHAT WE SEE.

We have all experienced fear. Israel was often reminded of the time they encountered fear at the Red Sea crossing. Pharaoh’s army was fast approaching the children of Israel. Their soldiers, horses, and chariots pressed them from behind with nothing but the Red Sea before them. But God parted the sea waters to let them escape by walking through on dry ground. God showed up for Israel in a big way! They were often reminded of this deliverence and remembering, they could be encouraged in future troubling circumstances. We can find encouragment in this for our fearful circumstances too.

I love the word “circumstances.” It comes from a Latin word meaning the surrounding condition that stands around us. Merium Webster adds, “from circum- + stare to stand.” Our circumstances are what we see around us. But what we see with our natural eyes does not include God. Peter walked on water when his eyes were on Jesus but as soon as he looked at his circumstances—the water and waves, he began to sink. We need to see more than our circumstances to rise above our troubles.

GOD’S WAY OF ESCAPE – TURNING WATER TO JELLO

There is an interesting word in the Biblical account that I have always overlooked. That word is “congealed.” God parted the waters and stacked them into walls of jello, one on their left and one on the right. There wasn’t even any splashes of water that spilled over the walls to muddy their path of escape.

“And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.” (Exodus 15:8 KJVER)

We are familiar with boxes of Jello that congeal water into a tasty dessert. The responsible ingredient is gelatin. Commercial gelatin was patented in 1845 by industrialist Peter Cooper. It was a tasteless and odorless product that never caught on until 53 years later when Pearle Wait experimented with fruit flavors. His wife called the congealed dessert Jell-0.

My grandpa lived to be 98 years old and was a good cook. I remember him making a pressed loaf of cooked beef. He placed the beef pieces and their broth into a loaf pan. Grandpa then covered it with wax paper and set something on top to hold it down. When chilled, the natural gelatin in the broth held it together. It became a nice, firm loaf that he would slice and eat.

This same congealing happened to the water when God parted the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen were fast approaching, and the children of Israel were afraid. It looked like an impossible situation with nowhere to turn. Sometimes we feel like we have nowhere to turn. I bet they couldn’t imagine how God was going to help them. “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.” (Exodus 14:19).

“And the LORD said to Moses, …speak to the children of Israel that they go forward: But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 14:15,16).

OUT OF OPTIONS

When we are afraid, it can be hard to move forward. Fear often freezes us into inaction. But they listened to God through Moses and moved toward the Red Sea despite the apparent impossibility of this mass of people escaping in this direction. Israel faced their fear with God and they are a good example to us.

“And Moses said to the people, fear you not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show you today.”(Exodus 14:13).

They were out of options The only way forward was with God. We often try to figure things out for ourselves without even asking God. Or if we do ask, sometimes we only look for what we think the answer should be. We aren’t always looking for the answer He sends. Only by trusting God can we move through our fear and Red Sea situations. God may not keep us from experiencing our circumstances, but He will be with us and make a way through it. Whether it’s a dark valley or a steep mountain, He will not forsake us!

GOD MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR FEARFUL CIRCUMSTANCES

Israel walked through the sea on dry ground. Not muddy, not damp, but on dry ground! That is amazing! We know God is powerful, but we don’t always believe He will be powerful in our situation today. But it’s okay to confess our lack of faith and ask for His help. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24 NKJV). God doesn’t always perform a miracle for us like He did at the Red Sea, but He will be with us and make a way forward through our trial. We all face troubles and have Red Sea fearful moments. But like Israel, we can face our fears, not alone, but with God.

The children of Israel were such a large mass of people; it took all night for them to pass through the Red Sea. Such power God displayed holding the sea back. And He showed such care by giving them dry ground to walk on. Their sandals didn’t get stuck in the mud. They didn’t slip or slide. God drew all the seawater into those walls of Jello with none of it splashing onto their path. God made a dry highway through the waters that were the demise of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army.

It would have been a nail-biting, yet marvelous thing to see. With the Egyptian army pressing behind, “the children of Israel went through the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.” (Exodus 14:22 KJVER).

But this wasn’t the only miracle God performed at the Red Sea. The pillar of cloud leading them moved from the front to behind them. God placed Himself between Israel and their enemy. He didn’t let the Egyptian army reach them.

“And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them:

And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; …so that the one came not near the other all the night.” (Exodus 14:19,20).

God was with them, and He is with us today. He goes before us to prepare the way. He is behind us – He has our backs. He always has our best interest at heart. Everyday we experience a miracle as God is with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Some have said Israel crossed the Red Sea where the water was shallow. This minimizes the miracle. But in Israel’s song of deliverance, Moses sang about the great depth of waters.

“Pharaoh’s chariots and his host has He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea,

The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.

 With the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood up as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

 You did blow with your wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.” (Exodus 15:4,5,8,10).

GOD’S KINDNESS PROVIDES THE BEST WAY

We don’t like to suffer and go through difficult things. But sometimes it’s God’s way of protecting us from greater danger. God protected Israel by taking them through Red Sea and into the wilderness. This route had a purpose. They weren’t ready to engage the enemy. God has purpose in the way He leads us too! The children of Israel were slaves for a long time – 430 years. Generation after generation lived in slavery. They may have been physically strong from labor, but they were not ready to face military battles.

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, for lest the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness…” (Exodus 13:17,18).

If Israel had immediately gone into battle against the Philistines, they would have returned to Egypt! They weren’t ready for it. Egypt and slavery were familiar. We can be tempted to do the same. Following God looks like it’s going to be too hard, so we turn back and stay with the familiar—even if it is not good for us. But our way is not an escape any more than returning to Egypt would have been for Israel. Their weakness was evident in their murmuring, complaining, and lusting after the leeks and garlic they left behind in Egypt. They seemed to have forgotten their cries to God because of the hard labor. He wanted to deliver them from slavery to something far better than leeks and garlic. He wanted to give them a land of freedom flowing with milk and honey. A land where they were free to worship their God. To be with Him.

REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU

The deliverance from Egypt was something Israel was to remember for generations! After they crossed the Red Sea, they built an alter to God as a marker of their deliverance. This deliverance is retold throughout the Old Testament. And to this day, it is celebrated yearly in the celebration of the Passover by Jews around the world. It is good to tell our children and grandchildren, friends, and fellow Believers how God has worked mightily in our lives to encourage them and future generations.

We haven’t passed through the Red Sea with walls of water turning into Jello, but we have all had fearful Red Sea moments. Moments, when we felt pressed from behind and going forward looks scary and impossible. But God wants us to remember His deliverances in the past to encourage us that He can also deliver us now! Israel’s deliverance can be an encouragement to us too. We love and worship the same God who delivered Israel.

WHERE TO PLACE OUR FOCUS

When we are afraid, it’s easy to focus only on our fears. Everything else tends to fade into the background. When we do this we crowd out God and our fear becomes greater than He is! We can only find comfort and peace when we focus on our great and powerful God more than our fear. Focusing on the fear will produce great anxiety. Fear reveals our inability to change our circumstances. Continuing in fear keeps us focused on ourselves. But our help comes from Above! Sarah Young said it well when she wrote:

“Powerful Lord, . . . You spoke the universe into existence – Your Power is absolutely unlimited! When I face my weakness and entrust it to You, Your Power can flow freely into me. However, I’ve found that my fears can hinder the flow of Your Strength. I’ve learned that trying to fight my fears is counterproductive – this keeps me focused on fear rather than on You. Instead, I need to concentrate on Your great faithfulness.” Jesus Listens, Sept. 18, page 273.

GOD WITH US

We need God to get through our troubles and deal with our fear. We live in a broken world with many problems. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). Whatever our trial, we can walk through it because He is with us!

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION:

What is my biggest fear?

What has God done in the past that can give me courage to move forward with Him?

What step can I take today to trust God with my fear?