Exodus 14:14-15 "'The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Life up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.'"

The Israelites had just experienced amazing deliverance from the land of Egypt where they had been slaves for years. They had seen the Lord do miracles on their behalf until finally, Pharaoh was humbled before the Lord and agreed to let them go. But it wasn't long before Pharaoh regretted his decision and pursued the Israelites travelling in the wilderness, with swift chariots and a mighty army. As they saw their captors approaching, the Israelites found themselves trapped, with the Egyptians closing in on one side and the Red Sea on the other.

In desperation they complained to Moses. "Is it because their are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?... it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." "Tell the people of Isreal to go forward." God did provide a way of deliverance when it looked as if there would be none. A path through the sea. But it took faith to walk in it. It took faith to trust God in holding up the walls of water until they passed. It took faith to move forward when an army was at their heels.

I have been contemplating what it looks like to move forward in faith. I think that it is acting and living in beleif that God is already working on my behalf. The Isrealites couldve kept their gaze behind them with longing and regret for the old land of Egypt. They could've turned around and tried to fight their enemies, although surely they would've been overpowered.The Israelites could've doubted that deliverance would ever come, they could've sat down in the dust in despair, accepting recapture or death. But instead they moved forward. Maybe their hearts were trembling, but their feet were moving forward in the God-sent path of deliverance.

As the Lord revels to my heart areas that his light and love have yet to cleanse, I often find myself in that place between the sea and the army, wondering where the deliverance lies. And the path of deliverance is often so obscure, it never looks like I imagined and often has walls of water on either side with an army behind. Its so hard to rest in confidence when my first reactions are to look back at Egypt, fight the army on my own, or sit down in the dust and despair.

But he is calling me to be still and move forward in faith. Just taking the next step forward that i see and trust that he is working on my behalf.