Tag: LivingTheRedeemedLife

The Red Sea Didn’t Move – God Did

Tracy Graves Stevens

Move Red Sea, Move

Why am I thinking about Moses and the Red Sea?  Maybe it’s because the movie, The Ten Commandments, just made its annual Easter appearance on television.  Maybe it’s because current events are reminding me strongly of that scene where Moses and the newly freed Israelites, while being pursued by Pharaoh and his army, suddenly found themselves on a cliff overlooking a vicious body of water with nowhere to go.  You see, as this blog is being written, we are in the sixth week of self-isolation in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  For some reason, this week feels like a Red Sea scenario, where the pandemic has no intention of showing those of us, caught up in the pandemic’s fray, favor. 

The novel Coronavirus has impacted every continent in this world.  As of today, it has claimed approximately 166K lives amid almost 2.4M reported cases worldwide.  These numbers, along with smaller, more detailed numbers for our local communities, have become an ongoing byline to every news program or headline being broadcast.  Sadly, during this week six, there appears to be no way out as we dangle on that cliff, waiting for something to make it end today.

But It’s Hard, Lord

And so, I think about Moses.  I am pretty sure he was being yelled at, questioned, and cursed (because the Bible says so) by the very people for which he had just facilitated freedom.   In these days of selfies, Moses probably would have been hit in the back of the head with sheep dung if he turned his back on this angry crowd to take a picture, or worse, pushed into the roiling waves of the Red Sea.  It is also during these times that I wonder about all the ‘wonderment’ in the Bible and why the story of the Red Sea is so endearing.  I think it’s a reminder to us that God came through during an impossible time. A time that truly was the difference between life and death.

God Knows

God could have only come through for the Israelites if He was mindful of the imminent need.  He wasn’t off toiling with something elsewhere He could have missed their cries.  God was very aware of their need and was present in the moment (read Exodus 14).  Likewise, when we cry out to Him, God is a very present help already aware of the need (Psalm 46:1).

This COVID-19 season is a tough one. Tough because all the endings are not happy ones.  Many are dying and there is no logic as to why some survive.  The Red Sea is still being the vicious body of water that it always was, and it seems God is not willing to move it so we can get on with the rest of our lives.  Inherently, I believe, that is the point.  When we look at scripture, time and time again, we see God doesn’t necessarily remove the situation; He moves in the situation.  Yes, we see lepers healed and sight restored in the Bible, but these miracles usually happen when the person is already dangling on that cliff crying out for an intervention.  The ‘red sea’ is still there, looming in the background hoping to swallow up the person’s hopes and dreams – and then we also see, God is still there. 

We are reminded that, just like Moses and the Israelites, God does not necessarily move our ‘Red Sea Situations’ out of the way. Instead, He moves in them.  God moves in ways that give us a better understanding of His love and His power.  Much like Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, He didn’t make the cross go away. The movement came, through Jesus’ death; and that movement continues to today in lives again and again.

Give Your ‘Red Sea’ to the Lord

As this pandemic continues to make moves across this nation and this world remember, God is still moving in ‘Red Sea Situations’.  God is moving in your situation.  He is a very present help in times of trouble.  God is our refuge and, more importantly, God knows your circumstances and what you are going through.  Keep seeking God’s face and keep your faith.  Like Moses, wave your staff (e.g. through prayer) and let God move in your life.  God’s movement always has a plan (Proverbs 19:21) that can overcome any circumstance and is backed by a love that is greater than anything we could imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

#LivingTheRedeemedLife

Walk It Like You Talk It

Tracy Graves Stevens

Walk it like you talk it or, more personally, walk it like I talk it.  That is the lesson I must keep in mind as I walk through this life and as I tell others about Jesus. The importance of this edict stays on my mind constantly, but it hasn’t always been there.  I had to learn that people are always watching how I respond to events in life as God matures my faith and I have to be intentional in thinking about my responses.

Button, Pushed

I recently had an experience where I found myself in a disagreement with another person.  Not just any person but one who was also a Christian, like me.  Nothing unusual, we all get into differences of opinion, but for some reason, this disagreement spiraled way out of the context of what we were in conflict about.  Their response hit me in my emotional core which made me want to reply far more aggressively than I probably needed to.  The other person sensed this and put up their defenses and the next thing I knew, we were facing an all-out argument.  Why and how did this happen?  As Christians, we should know better right?  Well, the other person was my husband who is the one person that can push all my emotional hot buttons.  And boy, he did at that moment.

Take a Breath

Thankfully, the outcome was not what it could have been.  If it had happened at an earlier time in my life this would have resulted in some hurt feelings.  That was during the early days of my walk with Christ.  It has taken some time, but controlling my emotions was the first thing God had to deal with in my soul.  I grew up in a family where letting the other person know what was on your mind was the norm vs. the exception so I had to learn to respond differently.  Thank God, He didn’t give up on me and realistically, I am still learning, one day at a time.

Colossians 2:8 says –

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.”

When you read this scripture, it speaks to the importance of knowing the truth of God’s Word, so we don’t fall victim to false interpretations embedded in human traditions.  I take this one a bit further because I believe our responses to the ‘things of life’ are also related to our interpretation of what God says is appropriate.   Just because everyone is doing it or it is legal, doesn’t make it right.  We must ‘walk it like we talk it’ as God’s Ambassadors on earth.  In my case, responding in anger would have only made the situation worse and the Bible is very clear that we should be “slow to anger” (James 1:19).

Let Your Light Shine

We need to ‘walk it like we talk it’ because people are always watching.  The enemy will use others, especially those close to you, to get you to be an example that is opposite of what God is telling you to be.  That is why we need to understand the importance of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and relying on the Holy Spirit to direct our paths (John 14:26).  Additionally, spiritual warfare is real and determined to make you stumble.  Our responses can not only make us stumble but can also be an obstacle to another person’s faith walk.  Think about it – who wants to be around a bunch of angry, impatient, abusive people?  That’s why we need to understand how God wants us to live and respond to life’s experiences.  Don’t worry if you are reading this and feel “oh, oh, I have not been responding appropriately.”  Thankfully God’s grace and mercy can pick us up, dust us off and give us another chance to make it right.

Get into the Bible, pray and be in relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit will tell you how to walk, where to walk and even when to walk away.  And the reality of it all, God promised us He would fight our battles for us, so let God respond for you (Exodus 14:14).

#LivingTheRedeemedLife