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Las Cuevas Bay Trinidad

A few months ago, my two grown children and I went to the beach. My plan was to sit safely on shore and enjoy the sea from a distance.

It’s not that I don’t like the beach, it’s the bulging water that I’m not too keen about. The waves scare me now that I’m an adult. As a child, waves were my amusement, riding them was fun, but children don’t see danger. They simply trust that all is well. It’s when we become adulty-adults that we start seeing everything differently.

For the Israelites, walking between the walls of water of the Red Sea must have been such a terribly frightening experience, especially, I imagine, for the adults. As much as they were attempting to trust God through Moses, the adult sojourners must have contemplated the potential danger of passing between those parted waters.

What might they have seen in the water? What might they have heard as the sea divided to make a path for them to cross over? Was there rumbling like the sound of a thousand peals of thunder?

At the urging of my beloved children, I ventured into the wave producing sea and much to my surprise was overcome by waves of fright. The wave and the waves were barrelling in, someone said “Jump mommy” I stood still unable to move a muscle and as the wave crashed into and atop me at the same time, I went with it tumbling over and over and over again like wet clothes in a dryer.

Why didn’t I listen to the instruction? I can still jump, why didn’t I? Isn’t that what adults often do? They ignore crucial instructions. Instructions that could move them out of harm’s way. We see the danger approaching yet for whatever the reason, we do not move a muscle.

We do the same with God’s instructions. Whatever the reason we do not move when He says to move.

The relationship hasn’t been good for many years, you’ve prayed countless times, pleading with God for an answer, “Oh Lord, what should I do?” Everything around you is now pointing to MOVE, get out, get away but you stay, and many years turn to even more years and you continue to remain, unhappy, frustrated, downtrodden and stressed out. Tumbling over and over the same circumstances in a miserable existence, unwilling to heed the instructions. Afraid to go the way that God has created to enable your safe pass through. Afraid to move. Afraid to jump into something new.

The sojourners were also afraid, but they listened to the instructions and stepped into the unknown, trusting that God would ensure their safe cross over, not in the terrible barrelling waves but in between them. Unharmed, they made it to the other side. Sometimes the path was muddy, it was the once soaked ocean floor after all, but not looking back, they soldiered on to safety leaving the danger behind.

What danger circumstances are barrelling towards you even now? You need to pray, then listen. Listen to God’s instructions. If He says “Jump!” then jump, with all the strength you can muster, jump.

Listen to God now,

“Why are you crying out for help? …move forward.” (see Exodus 14:15)

Shelley Johnson "Listen" © February 10, 2025