A Road Through the Sea

"Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters-a pathway no one knew was there!"

Psalms 77:19

This verse takes me back to the Israelites being confronted by the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them.  I have no doubt that they were terrified, feeling hopeless, despair ripping through their chest.  So many questions must have raced through their frightened minds.  So much confusion...wasn't it God who had delivered them?  Why would He take them out of a bad situation only to make things worse?  Why would He give them a taste of freedom only to allow it to be ripped away? 

"Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?"
Exodus 14:10

Before the Lord parted the Red Sea, He gives His people some instructions:

"Don't be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.  The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The Lord Himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm."
Exodus 14:13-14

God told them:
1.  Don't be afraid.
2.  Stand Still.
3.  Stay calm.

These are the absolute hardest things to do when you are in the midst of a desperate situation.

Don't be afraid?  They were TERRIFIED, and had every right to be.  They were facing their own demise and staring death in the face!

Stand still?  The Egyptian army was chasing them and they were about to die with absolutely no way out.  There was a literal OCEAN in front of them.  Every instinct was probably telling them to RUN.

Stay calm?  Are you kidding me?  Who is able to stay calm as you stand there with your family, knowing death is upon all of you? 

This was clearly no easy task.  Having no fear, standing still, and being calm goes against every instinct, defies logic, and almost seems foolish when you contemplate the circumstances.

But God.

God provided a way.  A very unexpected way that no one knew was there.  He parted waters and allowed the Israelites to walk through dry land.  God's road led through the sea, through treacherous waters, and they were victorious.

A pathway no one knew was there.
Through mighty waters.
A road through the sea.

God still does this for us.  He makes pathways in unexpected places.  He provides a way where there is no way.  He provides the path through mighty, treacherous waters, leading the way the whole time.  And he commands to not be afraid, stand still, and stay calm.

Will you trust Him with me?

Lord, give me eyes to see the pathways when things look impossible, when despair overtakes my soul.  you are not the bridge over troubled waters, but the path straight through it.