“Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Standstill and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” 15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Exo 14:13-16)

Lessons at the Red Sea: God’s people did not doubt God’s existence or His power, but they doubted God’s goodness!!! Often, they said: “God will not help me today”. They also doubted Moses. They rebelled against God’s appointed leader. At the Red Sea, the truth is that Israel had good reasons to fear the Egyptians. They were former slaves, not trained as soldiers and without weapons to fight. The Egyptians were soldiers. They were now very angry because many had lost their first-born sons, and they blamed the God of Moses. They wanted to kill Moses and the leaders of the Israelites and bring back the rest of the slaves. The Israelites were not mature believers. They were all trembling with fear wishing to go back to Egypt. Question: Have you believed the lie that God will abandon you when you are in trouble?

Moses was the leader because he knew God better. His faith was stronger. He did not know how they would cross over the sea, but he that God would make a way where there seems to be no way. Why was Moses so confident? He knew God’s character. God is a good Father. God will not abandon His child. Think of your father when you were a child. If you are lost, you said: My Father will not abandon me here. Moses knew God’s promises and His faithfulness over the years. He knew that God fights for those He loves!!! We often allow fear to trample our faith! We think that God loves us more when things are good. When we pass thru trials, we think that God loves us less. That is not true! God’s Love is perfect and does not change! Often, God allows darkness to come before He wants to do something great! We say… If Pharoah stayed at home… if Goliath was not so tall… if Daniel was not thrown into the lions’ den… our lives would be better. But without trials, we could not have witnessed the great victories and testimonies from God. To make you afraid, Satan will show you the Red Sea, the mighty Goliath, or the Lions in the den! But God will show you His Son, Jesus Christ, the Author of our faith! According to the Bible, Moses, his faith and his rod are greater than any army! He split the Red Sea, making a way to Freedom! Trust God!

What are the lessons we learn from the Red Sea story?

The people are afraid. They want to go back to slavery in Egypt. They don’t want to pay the price for freedom. Fear leads to murmuring against God and Moses, and it blinds the eyes to the breakthrough. Moses ignores their murmuring and gives three commands:

*Don’t be afraid! When you look around, you will be afraid. When you look to God, you will not be afraid.

*Stand Still (Stand strong) and expect to see the Salvation of God!

*Go forward! God gives power and miracles only when we trust and obey. You need to stand still before you can go forward.

Worship the Lord!