This morning I began my prayer time whining like an Israelite!
I told God I had to be honest. I said, “God, It is impossible for me to pray circles around all the people and things You have placed on my heart when financial needs in my business are tyrannizing my thoughts, energy, and sleep. Sometimes it seems like for me to have faith the size of a mustard seed, it would have to double in size” But I asked Him to help me have faith to know He is aware and His answer was on the way the first time I prayed then I began to talk about His faithfulness (even when I’m not) and before I realized it, He was pouring out revelation on me.
I know you know the story about the man whose wife brought him in a magnificent meal she had worked on most of the day, sat down a Valentine’s card next to it, kissed him, said I love you, and laid a new watch down beside the card. He said thank you! She said, honey do you still love me?… you never tell me you do. He replied, when I asked you to marry me, did I tell you how much I loved you? She said, Oh yes! He said, well I told you I loved you once, if it ever changes I’ll let you know…
My logic gets the better of me when I don’t see “how” God can come through… or, more accurately, come through in time. But I don’t believe the Isralites or even Moses thought, “Oh, ‘No Worries’, God will probably just split the Red Sea behind us and dry the mucky mud out real quick so we can get away and then drown the Egyptian Army THAT IS ABOUT TO KILL US!!!”
And I don’t think it crossed their mind to draw a circle in the shore and tell God they weren’t moving out of it until He showed mercy to His children and parted the Red Sea.
No! They thought like I do… they complained, “So there’s not enough places to bury us all in Epypt, that You brought us out here so our dead carcasses wouldn’t clutter up Pharoah’s land??”
Parting the Red Sea and being able to walk on dry ground was such an improbability and impossibility that it was not even crossing their logical minds. Their backs were to the sea and their enemy was barreling down on them to wipe them out and God just told Moses, “You’re facing the wrong direction”.
Moses said, “Huh?”
God: ” Why are you crying to Me, Go Forward!”
Moses: “Toward Pharoah’s Army? Are you Nuts?! We took all their gold and jewels like You told us, but we didn’t take their weapons, they’ll murder us!”
God: “No, you dummy, I said your facing the wrong way!… Am I taking you back to Egypt or to the Promised Land?”
Moses: “Uhh…, to the Promised Land?”
God: “Right! so turn around and Go Forward!”
Moses: “Into the sea?? Are Epyptians afraid of water like the aliens in Signs or something?”
God: ” NO idiot! Llift up your rod, stretch out your hand and divide it! and the Children of Israel will walk through on dry ground!”
Moses: “God, have you ever picked up clay like what is on the bottom of that sea?”
God: “What d’ya think I made Adam out of? Now do what I say”
Moses: “That’s just stupid, how foolish are You really wanting me to look here?”
God: “Not as foolish as you will be to just sit here and get slaughtered”
Moses: “OK, right”
Did you catch it? God didn’t say “I will divide it”, He told Moses to lift up his rod, stretch out his hand and divide it. I never saw that before!
God said, “I told you I loved you once…”
Back in v. 4 of Exodus 14, God already told Moses, “I am going to gain honor over Pharoah and his army so they would knowI Am the Lord”. Not sure if the “they” in that sentence was Egyptians or Isralites, but I think God may have meant both.
So God told me this morning, “I know you don’t have the capital to do what I planted in your heart, I know you are scrambling just to make the ends meet and how short you are falling if I don’t do something, I understand you don’t see how anything can happen in time to save your rear again, but I’m telling you don’t sit here and get slaughtered, go divide the sea and walk through… Go Forward!”
I said, “but if I do it, how are You going to get the glory?”
God said, “Seriously? Do you really think anyone would believe “you” divided this sea of red ink and delivered yourself?… when you read the story of Moses and the Red Sea did you assume “he” split the sea and dried out the ground immediately? Do you think the Israelites walking through 50 foot high walls of water thought Moses did that?”
“Don’t try to sound pious and holy by being concerned about My Glory, just be obedient and believe Me, when the sea parts and you walk through on dry ground, you will find it impossible not to give Me the glory!”
I’m getting up, turning around, facing the wall my back is up against and Going Forward!
How many times have I said to my kids “be careful the seed you sow, because you will reap what you have sown. The good seed we reap will result in a beautiful and most plentiful harvest”. You all know how much I love planting flowers in the Spring! The girls and I plant flowers and have FAITH that they will grow and flourish. Well, in our challenge this am, Mark says that “Faith is what keeps those dreams alive, even when it seems as though they are dead and buried. That is the nature of seeds, they disappear under the ground, you think they are dead, but they arent, they are germinating beneath the surface.” Just like our prayers and dreams. They take time to germinate, some longer than others! God knows our situation, He knows our financial needs, our physical and emotional needs. He has got them under control! His Hand is all powerful and knows the EXACT time to release the answer. With everything today that looks bleak, I cry out to God and Praise Him for the answers that are already on the way…HIS promises depend on it! No more will I think my requests I place at my Fathers feet are coincidental, they are providential and I will give God the Glory! Today, I too, will face the wall together with Tag, in confidence and command the wall to fall In the Name of Jesus…its our Jericho and guess what?? We know how that story ends!!!! Lets go!!! Im praying because OUR life depends on it!!