Most of us are familiar with the story of the Lord parting the Red Sea and the Israelites walking across dry land. Before the Lord parted the sea, he was dealing with a lot of grumbling and griping from his people. Their attitude about crossing a desert was bad enough but when faced with what seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle, the Red Sea, they were frozen.  

In Exodus, the Israelites were stuck in their fear and ready to give up.

“Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?' It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” – Exodus 14:12

The Israelites were willing to settle for life as slaves. Though the work wasn’t what they dreamed of, they did get to eat every day.  

The Lord had painted a picture of the Promised Land that was only a miracle away. He led them through the desert by fire at night and a cloud by day. He walked with them every step of the way. It was theirs for the taking but they were willing to settle.  

Sometimes I find myself going through periods of time when I settle, but we all do. It will be different from one person to the next.  

Maybe it’s a job, where you go to school, how you spend your resources (which are really God’s), where you live or whether you take on a new adventure God has in front of you.

God’s response to the Israelites was encouraging. 

“The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.” – Exodus 14:14 

What’s really interesting is how God then tells Moses to quit “crying” to him and tell the Israelites to move on. The Lord will take care of the miracle, we just have to move when our sea opens up.

Written by Randy Daniels, vice president of program development and strategic relations for Buckner International.

Sign up to receive encouragement in your inbox each week.