Can you visualize what the atmosphere was like on the morning after God parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians? I’d imagine that most of the people didn’t even sleep the first night because they were probably having the greatest celebration of their lives and praising God for His faithfulness and deliverance! Can you imagine how the mothers must have felt knowing that their children would not have to suffer the torture and abuse from the Egyptians anymore? And think about the men who had been reduced to mere slaves, who had no ability to protect or defend their families and what they must have felt like; knowing they were once again given the opportunity to lead their families! If you were one of them how long do you think you would continue in the mindset of victory and rejoicing?
I used to think that if it was me I could hold onto it for the rest of my life because if I had seen the Red Sea parted and knew I was headed in the direction of the Promised Land; I would be so faith filled that nothing could make me lose faith or get discouraged! But how long did the Israelites hold onto their victory mindset? We find the answer in Exodus 15:22-24. It says, “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
I used to read that and think, “Are you kidding me? If He could part the Red Sea do you not think He can provide you with water?” But I don’t do that anymore because I have come to realize a truth about myself that is so similar to what the Israelites experienced here and many more times in the forty year journey to the Promised Land! I discovered that the greatest distance to travel on the journey of faith is the road of believing that what God has promised, He is going to perform.
Sometimes I say in my heart, “God I am grateful for what You have done, but I am not sure I can trust you for what You have promised to do.” Over and over again, in the desert, God met Israel’s needs and over and over again they worried that He wouldn’t do it the next time. But the beauty of this interaction is what I want us to focus on today and that beauty is the fact that God was always faithful, even in their times of worry and doubt or times of grumbling and complaining. There were consequences for their unbelief but God never changed in His love for them and He still provided for them at every point of need.
And this is exactly what He does for us in our times of murmuring, complaining, worry, and doubt. But the most beautiful truth for us as New Covenant believers is that no matter how far we travel off the road of believing God for what He has promised; we are never left alone to find our way back by having to keep the laws of God perfectly! The grace of God has been given to us through Jesus and it is His grace that keeps us in place to receive that which He has promised; no matter how far we stray in our fleshly thoughts on the road of unbelief.
At some point when we are murmuring, complaining, worrying, or doubting, the Spirit of God comforts us and reminds us of His amazing love and faithfulness! And all we have to do to get back on the road of belief that leads to the land of promise; is to embrace the grace of God and to renew our minds to the truth that God supplies all our need according to His riches in glory! When we do this our hope for what God has promised is restored! The result of doing this is that the immediate need we are facing no longer looks like an obstacle that has the power to stop us from getting to the Promised Land God has prepared for us! Something else that happens when we renew our minds is we begin to view our times of immediate need as something to look forward to because we know that God is going to meet them in even greater ways than we can think or imagine!
This is what I am learning to do on a daily basis and I can attest to the fact that it is possible. But this can only happen when we are abiding in Christ and understanding that Christ is at work in us and that God is faithful to His promises! It is nothing we can do in our own strength because we do become weak on our journey of faith and sometimes immediate needs do look like gigantic obstacles! But when we make the decision to abide in Christ and allow Christ to work in us through His Spirit reminding us of His faithfulness; our eyes are opened and we see God at work and our strength is renewed to wait for Him to meet our need. This is my encouragement to you today as you walk on the journey of faith to the land of promise God has in store for you. He is with you and He won’t ever leave you in your need. He will always meet it and I promise it will be greater than anything you could ever think or imagine!
Prayer: Lord only You know my every need and only You can meet them! Remind me of this truth on days where I see a need as an obstacle that can keep me from my land of promise. I praise You for Your grace that is in place in my times of weakness when I give in to grumbling, complaining, doubt, or worry. Thank You for never leaving me to fend for myself and for always bringing me back to the road of belief by the power of Your Spirit that resides in me and is greater than my weakness! Help me to begin to view my times of need as an opportunity to watch You perform Your Word in even greater ways than I could ever think or imagine! Amen
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