Making the Crossing

For weeks now I've been pondering the crossing of the Red Sea. At first, I read Exodus 12 and was struck with Moses telling the scared-to-death Israelites to "Stand firm...the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (vs.13-14) I'm a fighter. I love movies where the hero, usually an underdog, fights his way to victory over a mean-spirited bully. I think deep down I would have wanted God to defeat the Egyptians by having some unlikely Jewish women smash their heads with water jugs.

But even in the very-military-sounding verses in Ephesians 6, where the Christian is dressing for battle, it is so that he may "stand firm," using only prayer and the Word of God as offensive weapons. So much for my teeth-clenching, water-jug-wielding victory.

But in Exodus 12:15, just after Moses tells them to stand there, God says, "Tell the Israelites to move on." Sometimes we "stand firm" while "moving on."

And here's where I found something I'd never noticed before. They moved on--crossed that sea--AT NIGHT. "All that night the Lord drove the sea back...and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and left...during the last watch of the night, the Lord threw the army of the Egyptians into confusion...and at daybreak the sea went back to its place."

I just keep thinking about this. My only guess is that, if the Israelites had been able to actually SEE by the light of day those walls of water instead of only guessing at the heights of the watery shadows, perhaps they'd never have crossed. They were already whining and complaining that slavery had been better than being chased by the Egyptians. They were grumbling and scared out of their minds. If the water had risen into its giant canyon in broad daylight, they may have said, "No way!" and dug their heels in. And been slaughtered. So the Lord shadowed His power with the dark of night--like blindfolding a horse to lead it out of a fire to safety--so that they would actually MOVE ON.

I'm not sure how this applies specifically to me right now. But I know I don't want to grumble or complain (especially about things I've ASKED the Lord to give me!) I want to heed the voice of godly leadership if it says, "Stand firm!" and I want to obey the voice of God if He says, "Move on," even if He tells me to do it in the middle of the night. Because who knows what monstrous seas He's parting to make my escape to safety possible.