Have you ever had a knock-down drag-out with God? Have you ever wondered, “Why?” Were you just the biggest loser in some form of God lottery? Yes, I have and I am not the only one. Sometimes you just can’t handle it all and yell and scream at God. It happens. In the end, as I found out, you have to let God be God. It can be a process getting to that point where you trust Him completely. It’s something I am still working on. But I found a story in the Bible that helped me to see things clearer. Let me paraphrase it here for you.

We’ve all heard the story of the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, right? Except there are a few verses and other things that no one seems to point out. Yes, it was a fantastic miracle. Yes, the Israelites even celebrated with a song and dancing but let’s take it from the top.

Israel , led by God out of Egypt, had stopped at the Red Sea. Then they see the Egyptian army bearing down on them as fast as they can go. Does Israel trust God? Nope. Time to complain. “Why did you bring us out here to die?” God intervened. God kept the Egyptians in darkness all night and the Israelite in light. But wait. There’s more. God wasn’t done. God parted the waters of a sea! Fantastic! Even better was getting to cross on dry ground. Wow! Moses tells the Israelites not to worry and God tells them to get going. It probably took a few hours getting the Israelites through the sea. Think about walking between two walls of water. Not sure how tall the walls were but it must have been an amazing sight.

Next, of course, the Egyptians try to do the same thing. Chariot wheels fall off. The path turns to mud. And then, yes, the walls of water come crashing down on the Egyptians. That’s not the end of the story. Not quite. It’s what the Israelites see next that is the best part of the story.

Heading out into the desert and maybe along the shore for a ways, the Israelites begin their journey. The one sight to see along their way was the dead Egyptians. Maybe some were floating on the water or maybe some had washed up onto the shore, but that would have been something to remember!

The children of Israel didn’t have much experience trusting God but they found a place to start. Someone had to be the first person to step in between the walls of water. That takes faith. Sometimes God even has to help us take the first step. But take it and start on your journey of trusting Him. And you have to keep the faith and keep trusting and believing in God even when there is no evidence. God is still there right beside you. Just stay in contact with Him. Make Him first in your life and always remember the dead Egyptians in your life.