We said recently that when Moses and the Israelites found themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, the people were terrified and rightfully cried out to God. In response to their need, God miraculously parted the waters making a way of escape.
In the course of these events, I found something that initially looked like a minor detail, but the more I considered it, the more I realized just how important it was. While the outcome still looked very uncertain for the Hebrews, we find this…
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” (Exodus 14:15)
Pause for a moment and think about those words. God was not chastising them for being terrified or for crying out to Him. He was simply telling them, “I’ve already heard you. Now, get going. I’m making a way for you, follow it.”
This example reminds me that there is a balance between crying out to God for help, and then doing what we can to move forward as He provides. Far too often, I fail to maintain that balance between my part and God’s part. I either call on God, and then sit back waiting for Him to do everything; or, I charge full steam ahead with my own plans and forget to invite Him into the process at all.
The old adage of praying as if everything depends on God and acting as if everything depends on you holds a lot of truth. What do you need to change to find a better balance? –Dave
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