There comes a point when the responsibility is in our hands, as we find out in the story of Moses and the Israelites. The Pharaoh and his army are in hot pursuit of Moses and the sons of Israel. They find them camped in front of the sea. The people fill with fear as their enemy draws near. They begin to shout sarcastic remarks at Moses. But Moses, the mighty man of faith responds to the people. He says, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” (Exodus 14: 13-14).
His response sounds so right on, but the Lord teaches Moses and us that there comes a time when mere words are not enough. There must be action behind our words. And we are the ones responsible to take action. Listen to the Lord’s response to Moses’ valiant statement of faith.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it…” (Exodus 14: 15-16).
This is an intense moment for these people. In fact, it is a life and death situation for them, and the Lord says to Moses to stop crying and tell the people to move forward! And He doesn’t stop there. He tells Moses that he is to put his faith into action and divide the Red Sea.
All too often, we expect the Lord to do the supernatural for us. But as we study the Word we see that the Lord has a different plan. He provides everything we need to succeed. Then He expects us to be responsible and not just speak words of faith, but put action behind our faith-filled words and divide our own Red Seas, by the supernatural power of our faith in the redemptive work of Jesus. He places the responsibility into our hands. –Author Becky Dvorak