Who's Gonna' Be First?

I am always fascinated by the story of Israel crossing the Red Sea. Israel had just been delivered from Egypt by the hand of Moses when they ran up against the Red Sea. You know the story....Pharoah and Egyptians pursuing them and the Red Sea blocking them.

Think for a moment about all Israel witnessed in that short amount of time. They saw an angel and the pillar of cloud move all the way around them so that it stood behind them between them and Pharoah. That would be awesome, maybe even scary, especially to the small children of Israel! Then Moses tells them the plan, "We're going to go through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground!" Do what? Moses stretches out his rod and a wind from the east that would equal the force of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Andrew together begins to blow. That had to be scary. It had to be one of the loudest things they had ever heard! Then the Red Sea begins to part, just as Moses said.

Let's recap shall we: Pharoah's chasing them, the angel and pillar of cloud moves between them and him, Moses announces an inconcievable idea that this vast body of water, big enough to be called a 'sea', is going to split down the middle, giving between one and three million people the ability to cross through on dry ground. Then an easterly wind, the likes of which none had ever witnessed, blows down on the Red Sea and parts it.

I would like to pause the story for a moment. The children are crying, afraid of all they have just seen and heard happening around them. The eyes of all the adults and youth of Israel are wide with excitement, fear, and nervous anticipation of what might happen next. As they stand there gaping at this giant trench going right through the middle of the Red Sea, the thought had to cross somebody's mind, "Who's gonna' be first?" Somebody had to be wondering, after all of the unbelievable things they had witnessed, who was going to be brave enough to even move first, much less have enough faith to begin walking down into the recent thoroughfare made by God Himself. To move would be to single yourself out.

I believe Moses led them through the Red Sea, but it was only because He had more faith in God than everybody else, and trusted Him. God is causing the impossible to begin happening for our people and our churches, but somebody has to be first to step into the unknown land of miracles and blessings. And so I ask again, "Who's gonna' be first?" It's just a thought....