Hebrews 11:29
By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
God’s people were in a stage of panic, as their enemy had them cornered. Death or enslavement awaits them. The Egyptian soldiers weren’t like a highway patrolman who calmly pulls over a motorist for a traffic violation. They were led by the crazed, griefstricken Pharaoh. They were charging as if they were in a death match. The passage says that the Israelites passed through by faith. This doesn’t mean they weren’t worried. This reminds me of some of the pictures of saints. Their expressions appear bored. I believe the artist meant to portray that they trusted so much that their wasn’t a hint of worry. That’s not reality. They showed their faith by walking through. But it wasn’t easy. This is the type of situation that makes one’s hair turn white.
We are not exempt from difficult times. Just because we are walking in His will doesn’t mean He doesn’t want to teach us big things. We will encounter situations that greatly stretch us. They won’t be neat and controled, with the instructions: apply faith here. We may be terrified. God may ask us to do something difficult. He will guide and provide, but we may have our backs against the sea with an enemy pursuing. They may be no way out. He may propose something miraculous, walk through the sea. Because we are desperate and afraid, doesn’t mean we don’t have faith. Fear doesn’t mean cowardous; inaction does. Having difficut emotions doesn’t mean we don’t have faith, inaction does. He will bring us through. It also wasn’t their idea. They followed the opening provided. So, also we follow the opening. It may be scaring and unusual, but He’ll be with us. The longer we walk with Him, the less worried we’ll be. But early on, we’ll be afraid. As parents, we would like our children to avoid these situations. But we can’t. It’s part of growing up. The trees roots grow deep and strong because of adverse winds. As our Heavenly Father, He’ll will guide, protect and provide. We’ll be worried. However, on the other side we’ll see that He brought us through and can be trusted.