Well, That Didn’t Take Long…
The children of Israel are delivered powerfully and miraculously by God out of Egypt and they begin their journey to the promised land. In Exodus chapter 14 we see them on the bank of the Red Sea, seemingly trapped by the water on one side, and an oncoming Egyptian army ready to capture them and bring them back. Here is what the people say: 10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
It doesn’t take the people very long to forget what God had done and why He had done it. In the face of adversity, they face away from God and look directly into fear. They seemingly forget everything that happened just a little while ago and how God miraculously delivered them from Egypt. This is an extreme example of “What have you done for me lately?” Can I admit to you that I struggle with this sometimes as well? I seem to often have a longer memory for the trials and a shorter memory of God’s deliverance. When we face adversity, we need to turn our faces directly toward God and His word. Let Him remind you of His promises to you and let Him unfold His work in your life through the adversity.
In this case, we know that God parts the Red Sea, has His people safely pass through and then drowns the Egyptian army. God used their adversity to show His power and glory. I’m pretty sure He wants to do the same things with us. So, let’s not turn on His activity in our lives; especially when it involves adversity. Let’s wait on Him…trust Him…even if it takes a long time to see what He’s doing.