Praising God on Dry Land
Encouragement Volume A-29
10/23/2009
Exodus 14:29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
I was looking for a good way to illustrate what is on my heart and how to communicate this Encouragement to you. Then last week Fox News illustrated a segment with a scene from Cecil B. DeMille’s movie the Ten Commandments. The scene is Moses, played by Charlton Heston, standing on the rock overlooking the Red Sea. The Israelites have been freed from the slavery and cruelty of Egypt and are on their way with all the spoil of Egypt to the “Promised Land” “full of milk and honey”. Little did they know that the Lord would lead them to the Promised Land through the Red Sea.
God had used many great miracles including saving them from the angel of death to free them. This last great miracle of saving them from death led to convince Pharaoh to let God’s people go and they were finally freed not only from death but also the horrible condition of Pharaoh’s brutal slavery. So now having been saved from death by lamb’s blood and the terrible condition of slavery the Hebrew are joyfully on their way to the Promised Land. In like manor we are freed from death by the blood of our Lamb, Jesus, and the horrible condition of our slavery to sin and now on our way to our “Promised Land”, heaven.
With that back ground said, here is my encouragement.
The Hebrews knew the Lord well and were saved from Egypt but their faith had not yet been perfected, matured or realized. Now the Lord began His work of becoming their God. As you read through Exodus the “becoming their God”, as I call it, happened through many test and trials. But the first test was the Red Sea.
Now camped with their back to the Red Sea and no way of escape Pharaoh realizes the military advantage and leads his army against the seemingly helpless Hebrew. When the Egyptian army approached it scared the Hebrews so badly they begged Moses to release them back to Egyptian slavery in hopes Pharaoh would not kill them.
They even declared “Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?” Exodus 14:11
'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." Exodus 14:12
But the Moses said "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." Exodus 14:14
Moses opens the Red Sea and the Hebrews walked on dry land with the waters piled high on both sides. When they reach the shore on the other side the Lord drowned the entire Egyptian army, their enemy and trail, when He closed up the Red Sea behind them.
When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses. Exodus 14:30.
My friends, sometimes trials or circumstances come upon us that cause great fear and the test or trial is so great that we even question our faith or the reality of our God. We may even become angry towards God.
But now I look back as one who is coming out of what I think was my scariest trial of the last two years unemployed. I see the dry ground on which I walked. Sometimes I even feared the way out by which the Lord took me and my family and sometimes trembled even at the high walls of the sea that surrounded us.
But for the most part of this trail our faith based upon our past experiences with our Lord sustained us. Although, sometimes, our older brothers and sisters had to come to our rescue and remind us “the Lord will fight for you today.”
And I have to say with all humility that the Lord’s dry ground which we walk on are your prayers for us and the many kind and loving things you all provide for us. Thank you my dear friends and family. Nothing was I able to do on my own power but only through the Lord’s strength and His provisions and through His loving servants are we able to survive.
I know that this trial is not over yet and more trials will come that test, strengthen and mature our faith. But these two things I know today:
My faith and my family’s faith in our Lord God are more real today than ever. Also our faith and love for each other, Juliana, Steven and I are greater and more intimate. Our intimacy with the Lord God Almighty and Creator of all is closer and more loving than we have ever known. It’s is hard to understand why the Lord God would care so intimately for me and my family but He does and I am basking in the reality and intimacy of Him and His love.
And secondly, although, I don’t invite more trails and the end of this one is not complete, I know the Lord is my provider and fear is only temporal but the Lords care and love are true and eternal.
And one more closing note. The Lord not only works through our trails for good for us but also as a witness to those who watch. The Lord works through our faith as a witness to the world.
"Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD” Exodus 14:18
May the Lord continue to bless us all,
Steve Bragg
