Moses parts the sea

Published 2:13 pm Thursday, January 21, 2016

Do you ever feel like you’ve allowed the most jaw-dropping stories in Scripture to lose their awe factor for you? The story of Moses parting the Red Sea from Exodus 14 is one such story for me. 

I have been a regular attender in church since nine months before I was born. I have heard this story countless times. In fact, I have heard it so many times that I must be careful not to skim quickly over Exodus 14 without giving it much thought.

Maybe you are like me.  Maybe this awesome story of God’s power and deliverance doesn’t stir your emotions anymore.

Maybe you need some help thinking about it in a way that fills your heart with worship to the God who controls every single atom in His creation.

You see, I am talking about the God who spoke everything into existence.  Before He decided to create, there was nothing but Him.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were together in perfect unity and self-sufficiency. There was nothing else.

Then God spoke, and everything we see around us each day came into existence.

Now, in Exodus 14 there is a massive barrier between God’s people and the safety God desires for them. 

Pharaoh and his armies were bearing down on them.  God’s people had nowhere to go. How will they cross the Red Sea? The people were terrified.  Moses should have left them in Egypt, they thought. Now they are going to die in the wilderness.

But then God intervenes.  We are talking about the God who first spoke water into existence. 

The one who formed the land in such a way that gathered the Red Sea together.  God instructed Moses to lift up his staff over the sea.  Moses obeyed. 

And when he did, God drove back the sea He created with the wind He created, such that the people of Israel were able to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground.

Wow! God showed up, and He showed off.  And as if that were not enough, when the Egyptians attempted to cross after them, God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand again over the sea. 

And when he did, the wind stopped and the waters of the Red Sea crashed over the Egyptians. The Bible tells us that not one of them remained.

God reminded the people of Israel that He was their God and they were His people. They could trust in Him. 

Exactly what the future held for them was uncertain in their minds. But they could trust in the one who holds the future.

He is the one who upholds the universe by the word of His power. He is Lord over His creation.

This God is still in control today. He still upholds the universe by the word of His power. He is still sovereign over every single atom.

Does that create worship in your heart? Look, I don’t know what is going on in your life. Maybe you just received a terrifying diagnosis from the doctor.

Maybe you just received news of new life in the womb of one you love. Maybe you just got a new job. Or maybe you just lost your job.

While life is often uncertain and difficult, I want to encourage you to trust in God.

He is sovereign over His creation, and He cares for His people.

Adam Blosser is the pastor of Drakes Branch Baptist Church. He can be reached at adam@drakesbranchbc.com.