Day 351, Year 1
Walk by Faith on the Seabed of the Red Sea
“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.” (Hebrews 11:29 NKJV)
On one occasion, God led Moses and all the Israelites down an impossible path on the Red Sea seabed, when the Egyptian army was pursuing them behind. Miraculously, they walked by faith on the seabed, because God had sent a strong wind to blow the waters apart, and the sea dried up. Similarly, God may cause us to step into impossible ways individually or collectively, so that we marvel at His power and thus change our perception of Him. Going through an impossible path makes us see God as big as He should be and realize our own tininess, even unbelief. After the experience, we will have strong faith in knowing that all things are possible for Him. When we walk on the path opened up by God, our mindsets will change, so that we know all are in His hands, and no longer limited by any circumstances before us.
“The Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.” This is a reminder to those who have no faith but want to walk in God’s way. Their endings can be disastrous. We should imitate others only if the Lord directs. Believers are led by God to do what is by faith, and it does not mean everyone else can do the same. The unique path of faith in history often tells us that no one can replicate those historic moments. The miracle of crossing the Red Sea was never repeated. Mimicking others without God’s guidance often ended up similar to that Egyptian army. Different people with the same method usually have different endings. For example, some people have received God’s gift to perform miraculous healing. It is impossible for you to heal the sick with the same effectiveness by mimicking their tones, gestures, or proclamations. Conversely, if we learn from their faith, we may, for example, be able to receive the spirit of Elijah and continue the prophetic ministry just as Elisha did. Faith can be learned, but events are usually not repeatable.
The Egyptian army, which wanted to chase the Israelites, could be used to symbolize Satanic work. When God’s people leave the land of slavery, Satan often chases us back to “Egypt” to enslave us again. If we go back, we can indeed be taken captives again. Thus, we desperately need to follow God’s promptings by faith to look forward, but not to be attached to what is of the old. Otherwise, our faith will regress, and it will be difficult for us to be saved because of the evil entanglement.
Reflection questions:
1) Do you believe that God can make a way out for you when you see the way ahead as impossible? Why?
2) Learning from the Christians’ faith that God uses, instead of imitating them to do the same things. Then what is the secret to learning effectively from their great faith?