By Shirley Rosemarie Evans
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.
Exodus 14:15-16 (NLT)
We know that for God faith equals works. So, there is a time to pray and then there is a time to do.
In this situation God clearly wanted Moses to act. And the truth is He had already given Moses the tools for the job. He told Moses to pick up the staff. In my mind’s eye, I see that before the people Moses was brave but then he went to God and rightly so and as the enormity of the situation pressed in on him he dropped his staff to the ground and called on God in desperation. Moses followed the instructions from God and picked up his staff. We know, of course, that neither Moses nor the staff had the power to do the great miracle that was about to be done but this was God’s power alone working through His servant Moses who faithfully obeyed.
I can just imagine how I may have acted in this situation. I would pick up the staff look at it then look at the sea before me with a look of incredulity on my face thinking “I’ve got to see this!” but like the fishermen who had toiled all night nevertheless at your command. It’s the nevertheless that counts. Despite what it might look like to our natural senses our faith has to press the override button on our natural, to trust in our Heavenly Father to do the supernatural thing.
It occurs to me that there are times when we are constantly crying out to God regarding the situation, and we will say we must wait on God. Yes, there is a time to wait but waiting on God is never passive. Waiting involves actively listening for God’s instructions and then following His commands. Sometimes it seems as though we are waiting for God to do when the reality is that God has equipped us in advance to do.
In Exodus 4 when God first called Moses to lead His people out of captivity and Moses protested that he would not be believed God asked the question “What is in your hand?” Moses' reply was that this was just a shepherd’s rod, but God used that rod to demonstrate His power. To God, this rod was a sign of authority, miracles and power.
If God has called us to ministry or witness or battle, He supernaturally equips us in advance for the challenges that we will face. We don’t need to cry out in desperation or in bewilderment we just need to hold up the staff God has already provided be it your voice, your finances, your pen, your position whatever it maybe lift it up afresh and ask God to perform the miracle needed for His Great Name's sake.
Ask – Why would God ask, “Why are you crying?”
Seek – Is there some area of my life where I have missed God’s instruction, or lacked faith to act?
Knock – Today ask God to give you a faith that works over that one area you identified.
(Main Photo by stein egil liland from Pexels)
(Inner Photo by James Wheeler from Pexels)
