“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it….'” Exodus 14:15-16
Sometimes we use stall tactics because we are scared to get moving. With the Red Sea splashing the front of him, the dust of Pharaoh’s approaching army behind him, and the frightened cries of almost a million people all around him, Moses stalled by praying in that riveting moment. God responded by telling him to quit crying, get the people moving, and to divide the sea (Exodus 14:15-16). It sounds a bit harsh, but when you consider God had already provided a promise to be with him, a staff pregnant with power, and an impressive ten-plague display of His ability to deliver, what else was God to say? Maybe you need the same push.
Quit stalling– Prayer has its place, but it never substitutes obedience once God tells you what to do. Fear is no excuse, go scared. Complaining may be a different shade of stalling but is just as unproductive. God’s heart is tender to your expressions of discomfort, but He desires to walk with you, holding your quivering hand while you move toward obedience.
Get moving– Maybe you don’t have people you need to get moving, but you do have a direction in which you need to move. If you don’t know which direction, pick one and God will guide you from there. Your spiritual ears develop clearer hearing from God when you are active!
Do the impossible– This is the most frightening and thrilling part. God has a habit of calling us to do impossible things. Jesus told the disciples to feed more than 5,000 people when they only had five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:37). Remember when He commanded them to throw their net on the right side of the boat when they’d caught nothing after fishing all night (John 21:3,6)? Each time you get a call to do the impossible, God is inviting you to be a part of what He wants to do through you. Don’t miss it because you looked too long at your own weak and low power inventory. Don’t dawdle in your prayer closet and let the opportunity bypass you.
God is out to be glorified through your life and the more you recognize His part in the story, the more excited you will become. Often, our part is to take the next step. God caused the wind to blow all night to divide the Red Sea, but it only started with the small movement of Moses’s arm as he stretched out his staff (Exodus 14:21).
What simple act is God calling you to perform? Do it, and see what God will do in response. Quit stalling, My Friend. The impossible awaits your signal of obedience.