A Way Through

I spent part of my childhood living with my grandparents. Sometimes we’d go to their cabin in Yucca Valley, which is in the desert, and it was freezing cold. This cabin didn’t have electricity or a bathroom, so we had to use an outhouse.

Today the thought of spending time in the desert isn’t all that appealing to me.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they weren’t excited about spending time in the desert, either. After God sent a series of plagues, Pharaoh finally agreed to release the Israelites. But as they made their way to a new land, they came to what looked like an insurmountable obstacle: The Red Sea.

To make matters worse, they looked up to see Egyptian army coming after them. They went to Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? . . . It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” (Exodus 14:11–12 NLT).

So Moses began to pray, and the Lord effectively told him, “This isn’t a time to pray; this is a time to move.” He told Moses to lift his staff over the Red Sea, which he did. The waters parted, and the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Then the waters collapsed on the pursuing Egyptian army.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a desert of sorts, and we don’t know why we’re there. It’s a time of trial and hardship, and we can’t make any sense out of it. We’re trying to figure out why this has happened, and we don’t see a way through.

The Bible tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2 NKJV). If you have a need, bring it to God. There’s nothing wrong with praying about whatever you’re in need of. So pray about it, but don’t complain about it.