Step into or onto the Water
By Peggy Park
On Fridays, Christ Compels Ministry welcomes some of our dear friends as guest devotional writers. This Friday, we welcome Peggy Park, Author of The Power of the Lamb’s Blood, by Winepress Publishers
Available through any book store or at www.parkpraisepublications.com
“So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”
Exodus 14:22 NKJ
We are in the season known as the Passover in the Jewish world. It is called Easter in the Gentile church although I like to call it Resurrection weekend because, as we well know, the word Easter has some pagan roots as well as practices. Of course the Passover was a picture of Jesus, our spotless and unblemished Passover Lamb.
It is inspiring to reflect on Moses’s obedience as verse 16 records the Lord’s instructions when He told Moses to lift up his rod and stretch out his hand over the Red Sea. Can you imagine the crashing waves and the roaring of the water? The people must have trembled in their sandals as they stood on the edge. They were trapped between the sea and the Egyptian soldiers, but in they went. They stepped into the raging waters.
Have you ever faced an insurmountable wall of circumstances where you felt trapped? We can take comfort in the words God spoke to Moses in verse 13, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”
Later when facing the Jordan river, Joshua 3:13 tells us that the children of Israel had to put their feet in the water before the waters stood in a heap providing safe passage. They had already experienced the parting of the might Red Sea, but I think it was easy to forget that.
The wall we are facing may take many different forms, but the principle is the same. We have to step into or onto the water to see the salvation of the Lord. We recall the account of Peter as Jesus told him to get out of the boat and come to Him as He walked on the Jordan River. Do you think fear was present in each of these circumstances? Was it hard to leave the familiar and step into the unfamiliar?
It is good to note in all three circumstances the power of the Lord was not manifested until the people involved took a step. This is a picture for us as believers. The only way we will know the full provision of the Lord is to step into the challenge we face. Then we will be able to walk through, or on, the choppy turbulent waters. We may be fearful and uncertain, but think of Jesus’ outstretched arms to Peter as He said, “Come.”
In the many trials of life, Jesus invites us to come – step into or onto the choppy waters in our lives, and trust Him to see us safely through the situation.
Pray with us at Christ Compels: Lord, help me learn to trust You more and be willing to step out and not shrink back when I face choppy waters in my life. Show me that complete obedience to You will always be the best choice throughout my life. Increase my faith so that when trials of all types come, I will stand firm in You and Your love for me. We pray all of this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.