God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites.  Order them to get moving.  Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea!

The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

Exodus 14:15-16

Working with kids gives me the opportunity to know more about the book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, than I would have known if I didn’t work with kids. I’m not saying this is a good thing; just saying. These books are a collection of diaries written by Rodney, a kid in middle school, who has a rough time. Remember middle school? I do. I found middle school to be incredibly rough. These books are very popular, as they are funny and well written, and most of us can relate to times when we felt wimpy.

I imagine Moses felt wimpy when he reached the edge of the Red Sea and had the Egyptian army in hot pursuit behind him. I find it interesting that he cried out to God for help (which seems like the logical thing to do, as it was God who told him to go there) and God says, “Why cry out to me?”

Instead of doing something for Moses, God told Moses – you do it. You speak to the Israelites. You tell them what to do. You stretch out your hand. You split the sea! Can you just picture that? Can you picture a child who has been picked on, telling his parents about it, only to have them say, “You do something about it. You stand up to the bullies. You hold your ground?” I’m not sure that would go over well with a kid, but that’s what God told Moses to do. “You do it.”

Moses obeyed and the rest is history!

I am convinced that sometimes, God waits for us to use the authority He has given us to pray prayers that move mountains and split seas and bring healing to hurting people. And instead of praying with authority, we wimp out. We pray, please God, oh God, won’t You, God, if it be Your will. Sometimes that’s the best we can do at the time. But Jesus didn’t say, “plead to Me when You face a mountain and I will speak to it and it will move.” No, He said, you speak to the mountain, you lay hands on the sick, you speak the word, you cast out demons, you take authority. He has passed this on to us. We can wimp out or we can stand up.

 I can’t even count Lord, how many times all I could say was, “Oh God, help.” I am so grateful that You hear me when I cry to You, no matter how wimpy my cries may be. I don’t want to be bullied by circumstances, symptoms, fear, pain, anxiety. Teach me to walk in the authority You have given me. Cause me to stand up and speak to the mountain of adversity that blocks my path and I trust You to move the mountain, to cast it into the sea. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

I would love to hear from you. Please let me know if I can be praying for you as well.

pic credit: unalad.co.uk