Faith Check

Have you ever read much of the Old Testament?  The stories that fill that portion of the bible are overflowing with repeated incidences of amazing displays of complete lack of faith in God, no matter how much He had done prior to His request of the Israelites. 

The Book of Exodus alone has so many stories of doubt and fear it is an absolute miracle that the “chosen ones” ever made it out of Egypt.  One story in particular struck me today as I was studying, it was the parting of the Red Sea. 

Not the parting in and of itself, or the ranting and raging that the Israelite people did at Moses prior to God parting the waters.  I truly understand their feelings; I am not too sure that I wouldn’t have been extremely panicked myself if I had been facing a huge army coming at me at full speed to wipe us out.

What caught my eye was a verse after they had crossed and the Egyptian army had been obliterated by the Red Sea closing back down upon them.  In Chapter 14 of Exodus, the last verse of this chapter says something very interesting about the state of mind of the people of God.

“And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared (revered, respected) the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.”   Exodus 14:31  (Defining of feared mine)

Did you catch that?  It wasn’t until after they saw God wipe out the Egyptians that they decided to trust Him and that Moses was actually being used by Him.  They had just been through 10 plagues in Egypt.  Each one foretold by Moses if Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go.  They survived the last one because Moses told them what to do after God gave him instructions.  They had been following a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire.  The pillar moved as did the angel of the Lord and stood between them and the Egyptian army while the Red Sea did it’s thing.  Oh yeah, and the Red Sea parted before their very eyes.

They then walked across not on muddy, soggy ground, but on “dry ground”. with walls of water on their left and their right.  Yet, it wasn’t until the Lord caused those same watery walls to come crashing down and destroy the army that was pursuing them that they trusted that God was working on their behalf?  Seriously?

Of course, that is my first reaction.  That is often my first reaction to many of the stories of the Old Testament.  The difference is that I know the end of the story.  I wasn’t living it.

In my own faith story, I have done many of the same things that I shake my head in disbelief about when I think about the Israelites.  How many times has God worked a miracle in my life?  Yet, how often when the circumstances are not going as I would like do I make a big deal to Him and anyone else who will listen?

How many times do I take matters into my own hands and try to construct my own “golden calf” to get the money or whatever I need when I believe I need it rather than waiting for God? 

I looked at this passage again and thought “Yes, Lord.  I am guilty of doing the exact same thing.  Not trusting you until “after” I see my enemy dispatched no matter how much you have done for me leading up to that point.  I wonder, how much quicker would things happen if I just hold on to my trust and faith through it all no matter what?  What about you?  Do you think that it’s time to check your faith?