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Red Sea Moments

Hoofbeats pounded thunderously in the distance, and chariot wheels squealed as Pharaoh’s army closed in on the Israelites at the edge of the Red Sea. Panic gripped the masses surrounding Moses when they saw their former captors drawing near. Pandemonium ensued as the Egyptian army grew closer and Israel’s hope of freedom seemed to blow away in the desert wind. As he stood firm in the midst of this chaos, a supernatural calm covered Moses. He was not swept up in the frenzy of fear like others around him; instead, he fixed his eyes upon the great I AM. Enveloped in the majesty and power of the Almighty, Moses chose to stand.

Slip on Moses’s sandals for a moment. What would you have done with an army behind you, a sea before you, and nowhere to hide? Would you have dug a hole in the sand to hide or thrown yourself into the sea to swim for safety? When faced with threats or fears, most of us are hardwired to choose between two things: fight or flight. But there is a supernatural third option for the faithful.

Although the vast majority of us will never find ourselves with an army breathing down our backs and certain death before us, we will surely face scenarios where our faith is put to the test. I know I’ve experienced my own Red Sea moments: those times when everything in the natural realm told me to doubt God, when I was tempted to take matters into my hands, or when I caved in to ungodly emotions. Whether it is a season of unemployment or a family relationship in shambles or an unexpected health crisis, there will be points in our journeys with God when He calls us to stand and see.

To stand is to put feet to our faith. This is far more than an intellectual set of beliefs; this is a confidence in the Lord that overrides all voices of fear. It means trusting in God even when our circumstances scream for us to do otherwise. These Red Sea moments are when all our Bible studies, Scripture memorization, and singing of worship songs must be more than just words. At the Red Sea, faith is no longer a theory but a living, breathing reality.

From the couple struggling with infertility to the Christian businessperson belittled for holding to biblical values to the single person beset with loneliness to the couple fighting for their marriage, there will be days when we feel backed into a corner and desperate for deliverance. For some of you, it may come in the form of waves of doubt crashing against you or persecution tempting you to buckle your knees. But these are the moments that require us to stand. They are varied and unique to our stories, but the one thing consistent in each of our experiences is that faith is a choice.

In our Red Sea moments, we must take what we know about God and stand upon His truths. To believe God even when facing heartbreak, to obey God even when the world mocks our values, to maintain peace in the midst of a storm—that is what it means to stand.

That split second when Moses believed God and chose to stand changed the destiny of an entire nation. He could have bowed down to Pharaoh, begged for mercy, or run in fear, but he chose to stand. That was the moment that made the man. He planted his feet on the promises of God, fixed his gaze on the presence of the Lord, and adjusted his physical posture to reflect the faith of his heart.