Red Sea Mists
Cry. Wait. Go.
This year. A year with so many unexpecteds. There have been wins in relationships, cuts in circumstances, and hards in comforts. In all, there continues to be as easy in His love. God is still leading me home. The same today as always. This year, I am walking a road requiring trust and faith in the unknowns with a troubled heart. Yet even here, I am more than a conqueror through Him for His Kingdom. I am staying the path and running with endurance. Even in unexpected there is a lot of joy. A lot of movement. A lot of hope. Hope in His use of me in this middle space. Hope in the Truth His promise always wins. Hope in the grace He has chosen me as His child, knowing all of whom I am.
IN THE MIDDLE
God is well versed to this middle space. He always stands in it and moves through it with us. In Exodus, the Israelites made the choice to follow Moses out of a life of slavery under Egyptian kings. As the Israelites fled captivity He led them to the Red Sea. They were fleeing an unhealthy place unsure of what healthy looked like. In their fear and trouble, God led them in this middle place with His presence.
With His cloud cover by day and fire light by night, God led the Israelites along one path to one path.
The wilderness drove them into the Red Sea. The enemy blocked the road back to the only broken comfort they knew. As God parted the Red Sea the waves closed in their sides. Following His light was the only step available to take. The Israelites had only one choice to make in this troubled place: Go forward into His known and their unknown. In their fear God led them to one choice: to move forward in full trust of Him.
At the water’s edge, the Israelites cried out. Afraid as they turned their eyes away from God. Yet in the face of earthly troubles, God gave them His path of love and grace.
-Exodus 14:10
ONE WAY
God protected the Israelites standing at the sea’s edge. He waited for their fears to subside and their voices to quiet. He humbly moved behind them to be first to battle their enemy. Under His cloud, the Israelites only saw what their eyes could faithfully handle. His cloud covered His power and their nomadic camp felt intimate and was safe. He blocked the enemies view, protecting them from attack. With their desire to go back into Egypt He also limited their view to the enemy. He stood in between the Israelites and the enemy, occluding the path back to Egypt and protecting them from caving under the pressure of an attack coming.
After all, who could walk through God to any other side?
But He also held His line as sovereign and everlasting King. He stayed in front and split the sea- forging a path for His warriors to march on. His fire lit the darkness decreasing their fear. His light gave their feet a firm and safe place to fall with each step they took towards home. His sea walls ensured they would not veer to the right or left as they walked. His grace turned their head forward when they wanted to turn back to brokenness and bondage. His rocks ensured they did not race too quickly to the other side and miss His presence and the pieces of heaven given on earth.
God split the sea and led the way while being the frontline soldier on the backside. Cloud and Fire. Day and Night. His power leads in front and protects from behind at the same time.
God did not lead them to fear, but led them to faith in their fear to be conquerors in Him.
BEAUTY IN THE ROAD
There is beauty in this Red Sea Road. There are no offramps or intersections. As I question what may be next, today God simply says, Walk the road. I step into this dead end entrance with sea walls surrounding me. By God’s grace, I am unable to turn back into chains as the cuts of life close in behind me. They only path open is this road. Red and one way- like the blood of cross to come so many years later. The only way to freedom. To life. To joy. There is chaos surrounding all sides, except for this forward road home. On this road lies freedom ahead and freedom at my feet.
He has called me to His calm in between the high waters of this sea wall. Here, my path is easily straight. One foot in front of the other, towards the light ahead of me. The firelight is not of destruction, but of nourishment and life-like a campfire baking hamburgers and refried beans. He will guide me in the unknown, keeping my path straight and clear.
HIS MIST
God’s mist falls from the sea wall as I walk. A sliver of His beauty, hinting at His kindness hidden in this wall. A mist that refreshes my skin, blots away my sin, and brings nourishment to my soul. His power keeps me on His road. His grace prevents me from leaping through the sea wall into my fear and away from His will. His mist reminds me the decisions I am in the midst of making are His.
God, Your mist is the Truth hidden beneath my fear and the part of my story I need to hold onto. The soft drops remind me the sea wall and all the parts of this road are Yours given to me. My fear is not woven into this wall. My fear only clouds Your saving Truth falling into me.
In YOUR mist,
My fears will not turn the loving power of Your path setting waves into my mighty failures.
Failures of thinking You made a mistake in sending me out, thinking I am not good enough to be a warrior in Your Kingdom fight.
My fears will not turn the refreshing nourishment of your water into the circumstances that drown me.
Circumstances of hurting and illness.
My fears will not turn the reassuring cover of your cloud into the comforts I am prideful of.
Comforts of having job security and a safe home.
My fears will not turn the fighting protection of Your rocks set in sand for enemies to stumble on into the complaints of my daily tasks.
Complaints of wanting others to move on my timeline for proof of my worth.
My fears will not turn the saving grace of Your wet sea floor muck set to catch and lift me out of my brokenness before it breaks me into my doubt that You love me.
Doubts of You not hearing my voice and leaving me behind.
My fears will not turn the forward faced path setting light of Your fire into me being blinded away from Your promise by looking backwards.
Blinded to Your heirship by my valuing of earthy relationships more than being Your child.
Like God did for the Israelites at the Red Sea, He meets us at our troubled cries, tells us to be silent, and waits for us to submit to His leading. Only then does He move us forward. God does not lead us into fear and distress. He leads us even in our fear and distress. His beauty is present in this middle place. He is leading with the same love and heart. More visibly. More directly.
