Why You Need Red Sea Moments

But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

Deuteronomy 1:40 NKJV

What was I thinking? How many times have you said these exact words or thrown your hands in an upward direction in disbelief at what you have just thought, said, or even done? The only way I can answer this is more times than I care to count!

 Such runs much deeper than those senior moments I would like to blame for my behavior. It's more like a battle between an attitude of 'I know best' in every situation and the good sense to stop and listen for God's guidance. It's hard for me to admit, but my hastiness sometimes causes me to bypass him completely. Without even a thought for wait time or seeking God's guidance in a matter, I plunge right into a solution with my own remedies, forgetting that all the while God's answer is waiting for me.

If any of this resonates with you, friend, you're in good company, as you can see, I am guilty of all... yes, all. And sadly, my actions are often followed by that dreaded question, 'What was I thinking? At such moments, I can only think of one word: OUCH! Having to admit my failure to listen to God and to ignore the opportunity to walk within His guidance results in nothing less than a good old-fashioned trip to the spiritual woodshed. It is there, when I have messed up, that I can begin to understand how God sees my rebellion and waywardness, and not only that, but also that this reminds me that a father disciplines his children as a sign of his love. In such a moment, waiting on the Lord would have been a far better choice.

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites were standing on the brink of entering the Promised Land. They were at the gates, so to speak, when God told them His plan for them to conquer the land. God said he would fight for them. They only needed to go in and take the land. Really? That's all? They had difficulty accepting such a simple plan of action. Certainly, possessing the land had to be more complicated than this. So, with an "I-know-better" mindset, they, with the help of their leader, Moses, revised God's plan to take the land and organized their own mission, including espionage. 

With the plan in place, they entered the land, and what they saw destroyed any tiny thread of faith they had in God's plan. They returned to the Israelites, and except for the faith of Caleb and Joshua, the Israelites agreed that God's plan was not such a good idea after all. They focused on all the obstacles they had encountered on this trip. Things God never intended for them to see. 

You see, friend, God's intent was for His people to never encounter the threats posed to them. He never meant for them to see any of those things. God had promised to fight for them, but they rebelled, took matters into their own hands, and left Him with the only option any wise father has when his children disobey. That is to experience the hard lesson of choices and consequences. So, as I too experience from time to time, He disciplined them. Only his actions involved more than just a trip to the father's woodshed. In fact, this seemingly well-laid plan cost them entrance to the promised land. They would pay for this rebellious act for the rest of their lives, and sadly, this generation would not enter the promised land because of their disbelief. Instead, the naysayers got their marching orders to pack up and return to the desert they had come from by way of the Red Sea. It was there that the Israelites had seen God's mighty rescue of them as they escaped slavery in Egypt, and by his command, the waters parted, and the people walked through on dry land. At the same time, the sea swallowed all their oppressors. Returning this way most likely was a painful experience as they came face to face with another time God had promised to deliver them from seemingly impossible circumstances, and He did just that!  So, this sentence back to the desert was agonizing as they realized the faithfulness of God in the past. If they had obeyed, they would have seen the same faithfulness that very day. 

So where do we fit into this story? Most likely, we are not running from Egyptians or worrying about giants in the land or whether or not we will have manna when we return to the desert, but it's all the same; we all have problems that require trust in God for deliverance.

One thing I know to be true in these flawed bodies we exist in is that the what-was-I-thinking and I -know -better -moments of life will keep happening because we are flawed humans. At such times, we can remember our own Red Sea moments when God clearly intervened in matters, He never meant for us to deal with. Times when we resisted attempts to change His plans revealed through His word and His spirit. Times when we stopped, listened, and surrendered rather than fought our own giants. These are the times that strengthen our faith and remind us to resist those I -know better moments that tempt us. Waiting on the Lord and reminding ourselves of times when His faithfulness could not be mistaken for any human success will do one thing in our lives. It will send those Red Sea moments back to us and invite us to continue to trust His faithfulness as our God and our Deliverer.

So, please write down some Red Sea moments in your own life today. Tuck them in your pocket, write them in your journal, but most importantly, give them first place in your heart so that you will always believe it when God says, "He will fight for us; we need only be still." (Exodus 14:14) NIV

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will also help you; I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Isaiah 41:10 NASB