The Red Sea Rules

A friend from Winona Lake, Ken Moyer, sent me the book The Red Sea Rules shortly after I lost my job last fall. He said it had been a real encouragement to him after he went through something very similar a year earlier. I read it and have bought three copies to give to friends in the last few weeks myself.

The following summary of Robert Morgan’s Red Sea Rules is from Shirley McDonald at NinetyAndNine.com. I’ll plan to put up a post about the job search soon but thought this might be good to put on the blog first.

1. Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
God, in Exodus 14:1-2, gives Moses specific instructions of where they are to camp: “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon.” When you are in a difficult situation, remember that the Lord placed or allowed you to be there.

2. Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief.
God told Moses “…Then I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 14:3-4). God can take an impossible situation and gain honor for Himself in the midst of our adverse situations – if we let Him.

3. Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.
It would have done no good for the Israelites to ignore the fact that the Egyptians were pursuing them. Yet God made a way of deliverance. Satan can do us no lasting harm when we are enclosed by the grace of Christ.

4. Pray!
“When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord” (Exodus 14:10). When you face impossible odds, our prayer-answering God will impart the grace needed.

5. Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work.
Moses told the Israelites to fear not, but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. How many times are we faced with situations where we cannot solve the problem or heal the hurt? Yet, we must leave room and give God time to work.

6. When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.
”The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). Trust God for guidance in small steps.

7. Envision God’s enveloping presence.
God will let us feel his comforting presence, just as He let the Israelites know of His care and presence through the angel of God and the pillar of cloud (Exodus 14:19-20).

8. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way.
Who would ever have thought God would have used an old man’s raising his rod over the obstructing sea to part the waters so that the Red Sea became a gateway to the Israelites and a graveyard for the Egyptians? God does not always view things as we do, and His methods of deliverance are often mysterious to us.

9. View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future.
“The Lord saved Israel that day…so the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses” (Exodus 14:30-31). Trials and troubles are the “treadmills” for the soul, developing strength and stamina.

10. Don’t forget to praise Him.
Moses and the Israelites sang a song of triumph to the Lord after their deliverance, exalting Him. We must not forget to be grateful for God’s deliverances because He truly is our strength and our song, and He has become our salvation (Exodus 15:1-2).