Sometimes God doesn’t part the Red Sea. There it is—I said it. While maybe this sounds like a lack of faith, I assure you it isn’t. I believe God absolutely did, and could part the Red Sea again. What I’m saying is that sometimes He doesn’t.
If you don’t know this Old Testament story, it’s found in Exodus 14, but here is a very brief summary. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt many years, and after much begrudging, Pharaoh finally let them go. However, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (yes, you read that right…God hardened his heart… that is a story for another time!) and he sent his army out after the Israelites. As the Israelites scrambled in fear, God tells Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand, and the Red Sea would be divided so the Israelites could pass through it and escape the Egyptians.
“And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” -Exodus 14:22
Did you catch it??? Dry ground. Not only was the Red Sea parted for the Israelites, but they made their way through it on completely dry ground. Sometimes, God does part the Red Sea. And when He does, we get to celebrate in those dry ground moments, knowing without a doubt that God has made a way. Those miraculous, incredible moments are stories of God’s power and providence that as believers we cling to– knowing that He can and will do it again.
But that isn’t my point today. Sometimes God doesn’t part the Red Sea. Instead, maybe you find yourself struggling to make your way through deep waters. Maybe you’re called to step out of the boat, off the dry ground, right into the waves. Maybe you end up in a fiery furnace, or a lion’s den. Maybe the miracle you were looking for didn’t happen. The prayer you’ve prayed a million times hasn’t been answered. You had faith, you thought God was going to make a way, but He didn’t. He didn’t act according to your own expectations. Or maybe you just can't see the way that He did make. As far as you can tell, there is no dry ground in sight.
Here comes the questions… Why? Why didn’t God make a way for me? Why isn’t He answering my prayer? Why didn’t He part the Red Sea? Truth be told, sometimes I think the answers to these types of questions are unsatisfying. They're the kind of answers that require bold faith– proclaiming that we believe God can, even if He doesn’t. The kind of faith that worships God’s goodness and power, before it’s seen the waters move. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's words to King Nebuchadnezzar before being thrown into the fiery furnace:
“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” -Daniel 3:17-18
God is able to, and He will. BUT, if He doesn’t, I still won’t turn away from Him. Seriously, this verse gives me goosebumps every time I read it. I desperately want that kind of faith.
Alright… but still, what about Jeremiah 29:11? God has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, doesn’t He?
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11
First off, if you haven’t heard it before, we typically don’t read the Bible right. When we take a verse at a time and try to apply it to our own context, we miss out on historical, cultural, and other context that is crucial for interpreting Scripture correctly. For example, just reading a little more in Jeremiah provides you with the context that this statement was directed to the exiles in Babylon, and Jeremiah was speaking of God’s future plan to rescue them and return them to their home. These words were directed towards a people who were right smack in the middle of their suffering. If you read one verse prior to 11, you’ll find these words,
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.”
-Jeremiah 29:10
70 years. How about that timeline? God has plans to give you a hope and a future, but for now, you’re here... Right in the middle of your suffering. But God, who sees the whole picture when we can hardly even see what’s immediately in front of us, says it’s going to be okay. He is going to move. He is going to act. He is going to redeem and restore you. In fact, He's already been at work this whole time doing just that. It just may not always follow the how and the when that you’re hoping for.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28
Alright, now my goal isn’t to burst your bubble and take away all your confidence and hope. Yes, we can have hope because even if this ‘thing’ doesn’t seem good right now, something good will come from it. However, this ‘good’ the Apostle Paul speaks of isn’t earthly prosperity. He spoke of eternal goodness, which can be vastly different from how we tend to apply this verse to our own lives. Often it’s used to encourage believers in difficult circumstances that everything is going to work out and be okay. Which, while that is true to an extent, that ‘working out for good’ part might not happen in the way you’re looking for, especially here on earth. If you really read the verse, God isn’t promising that everything will be good, He’s promising that He can use all things for good. And dare I say it, maybe that ‘good’ isn’t earthly pleasures or happiness. I mean look at the disciples… How many of them were martyred for following Jesus? Seriously… I encourage you to go look it up. Because maybe this 'good' that Paul was speaking of is much, much more than anything here on earth—it's an eternal goodness that we can't even fathom.
Maybe that ‘good’ that God has for you isn’t speaking of prosperity or success. Maybe it’s about the Kingdom mission and other people. Maybe it’s God shaping and molding you, transforming you into a new creation. These types of ‘good’ things often don’t come easy. Oftentimes, this shaping and molding, this transformation, this healing…all come through suffering. Through trials. Through waiting.
Yet, we can endure, push on ahead, and walk through the waters because the God who CAN part the Red Sea is walking right through the waters with us—constantly working in our lives.
So there it is. Being a believer doesn’t mean that God is always going to part the Red Sea. In fact, maybe He never will. Maybe your pain, your suffering, and your trial will endure until the day Jesus brings you back to Him. Maybe your life is one struggle onto the next…where you feel like you’re constantly walking through deep waters, rather than on dry ground. Friend, if you find yourself right in the midst of it, I couldn’t tell you exactly why things are going that way. But, I can tell you this: If you find yourself staring out at the sea, waiting for God to act– I get it. It’s painful. It’s frustrating. It causes fear and doubt. It makes us angry. It makes us question.
But cling to Him who holds the answers. Maybe, He will part the sea ahead of you, and maybe He won’t. But know that the God we serve has the power and authority to part the Red Sea and this same God loves you with an everlasting love. He gives joy that is eternal–not based on your circumstances. This same God has promised to go with you when you pass through deep waters...to carry you through. Even when it doesn’t seem like He’s making a way, He is. He has. And He will again and again and again.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” -Isaiah 43:2
“You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled... Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen." -Psalms 77:14-16,19