CROSSING THE RED SEA

Pr. James Victor Lubwama 

Psalms 121:1-4(NLT)

“I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”

Before God makes realities, He first paints shadows. The Old Testament was a shadow of the New Testament. It spoke of things to come. Before we get into realities, we always get snap picks or headlights of what will happen to us in the future through dreams, visions and Rhema words by word of prophesy. These are indications of what God is going to do, how he will take us through or what our future holds before we get there.

In the same way the red sea represents; the things that we consider impossible i.e. levels we can’t reach, dreadful situations, tough times, illness, hardships etc. However what is impossible before the pessimistic unbeliever man is possible before the believers. What people usually consider as problems are not problems if you analyse them, but what makes the difference is our perception and in whom we put our faith and trust.

Amidst all problems there is always away that cannot be seen by our physical eyes. There was a way for the Israelites in the red sea which they had not imagined when the water parted for them to cross. We can relate this to the doctrine of predestination. Romans 8:29 (ESV) says: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

God knew us before we were born and planned away out for us in all matters of our lives. He knows the challenges we will face and has already worked out solutions before we even face those challenges. Jeremiah 1:5 (AMP) says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart………..”

There is always a hidden path that we may not see until we get to that time when we need a solution. There is reason why we go through what we go through;

Deuteronomy 8:2-5(NLT) says: “2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. 5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” 

From the above scripture we learn that;

• God chastens those He loves so that they return to his ways.
• A desert is a place where people are tested and humbled.
• God trains us through the hard times and challenges. In the desert God cut off provision of the land and He provided for them so that they would know He is the sole provider and that it was not their hands that provided.
• In the desert God builds up a relationship with His people. He wants us to turn our eyes and dependence from people and recognise Him only as the almighty God. That's why He only comes to help when we have totally failed in our own strength and when we feel we cannot rely on anyone for help because he doesn't share His glory with man.

Our trust should be in the Lord only because He will neither leave nor forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:8(NLT) says; “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”