"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
The children of Israel spent 400 years as slaves and when they were finally set free, the first thing they ran into was the Red Sea. There were overwhelming mountain ranges on both sides of them, the sea in front of them and behind them, the Egyptian army. Pharaoh had changed his mind about letting them go and sent the Egyptian army in pursuit to retrieve them. It appeared that the children of Israel were trapped.
To them, it seemed like it was over. Where would they go? What would they do? However, God knew exactly what He would do. He could see what they could not see and He had designed this scene perfectly. In God's amazing splendor, He opened the Red Sea and they walked through to safety. Years later, the Israelites looked back and sang, "Your road led by a pathway through the sea—a pathway no one knew was there!" (Psalm 77:19).
What circumstances are you in right now that are making you feel like there is no escape and no where to turn? What Red Sea lies ahead of you and you just don't know how you will make it across without drowning? You might be facing some serious hard times right now - finances are questionable, emotions are high, relationships are falling apart, children are misbehaving, jobs are overwhelming and the Red Sea ahead of you looks impossible to cross. Just wait. He is finding a way to part that Red Sea for you now.
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter till the full light of day" Proverbs 4:18
As we go through life, we run across good times and bad times. Sometimes we shout for joy and other times our devastation takes lead and our joy takes a back seat. Faith keeps us going through those difficult times. We do not see the big picture but God does. God understands our walk and He allows certain things to happen so we can learn and grow in Him. Sometimes we have to take a painful turn in order to get back on His will for our lives. We can ask questions but we might not get the answers right away. Sometimes it takes years before we are able to look back and say "now I know what you were up to God, thank you."
Proverbs 3 tells us to not lean on our own understanding. Acknowledge His ways and have faith. Trust Him to part that Red Sea in front of you. Sometimes He might need us to stand in front of it for a while but He will always walk us through it when it's time. He can see the end result. Maybe things are not clear to us now but be patient, they will be.
