“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.  Exodus 14: 13-14.

 “When I think I’m going under, part the waters, Lord; when I feel the waves around me, calm the sea; when I cry for help, Oh hear me Lord, and hold out Your hand, touch my life, still the raging storm in me.”  The words of the song sung by the group “Selah” kept running through my head. I am in the middle of organizing a mission trip to Central America and at times I feel overwhelmed!  “Please God, part the waters and show me your plan.”  I thought about Moses and wondered how he felt when he looked up to see the King of Egypt with his entire army, along with 600 of his best chariots, bearing down on the unarmed and fearful Israelites.  They turned on Moses and began to complain; “wouldn’t it have been better to be slaves in Egypt than to be killed in the desert?” 

BUT GOD!  “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘why are you crying out to me?  Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground……The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.’” Exodus 14:15-16, 18.

Raise your staff, Moses!!  Then the pillar of cloud moved from the front and stood behind them.  The cloud brought a thick darkness so the Egyptians were unable to move.  That night the Lord sent a strong wind and turned the sea into dry ground.  The Israelites crossed over safely with a wall of water on the right and on the left!  The Egyptians followed, but weren’t so fortunate!  The Lord slowly brought the waters back; their chariot wheels got stuck and fell off.  The Egyptians realized God was fighting for Israel, but it was too late!  The waters returned to their place and the great army was destroyed!

The Lord has a way of parting the waters!  He does it in a way that is unmistakably His doing.  Moses had to raise his staff and lead the way.  Did he have a panic attack?  Probably not!  Raise your staff and move on, right through the water, Moses!  The Lord wanted to gain glory for Himself!!  What a beautiful story of God’s deliverance!  He can do the same for us!

There was another time when God parted the waters for Israel.  It took place when God’s people were getting ready to enter the land of Canaan.  This time the leader was Joshua, not Moses; it was the Jordan River, not the Red Sea.  This crossing was a little different – God had His own plans!  The Ark of the Covenant was to go across first.  There was no staff this time.  The Jordan River was at flood stage.  When the priests’ feet entered the water, the water from upstream stopped flowing in a town about 20 miles away.  The water flowing down to the sea was cut off.  The priests stopped in the middle of the river until all the Israelites had passed over.  The priests and the people had to take a step of faith before they would see the miracle the Lord would perform.

This crossing was different, but both times, the Lord did this so that the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.  Joshua 4:24.  Repeatedly, the Lord told the Israelites to “Be strong and courageous.”  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9.

Be strong and courageous, dear one, and see the salvation the Lord has for you this day!

Your friend, Jean