Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan

The Same God Who Led You In Will Lead You Out

How often do we find ourselves standing before our struggles and sorrow, looking into a sea of hopelessness? It is in these times that we wish someone would give us some guidelines to follow...someone would give us some instructions on what our next step should be. Because of our inability to see hope in the storm, we miss the place where all these instructions may be found. God's Word is all the guidance we need in every circumstance of our lives. From the Red Sea to the Promise Land, God desires to reveal His mighty power to work in the lives of those who cry out to Him. Whether we cry out in dependence or utter desperation, God desires to rescue and restore us. And when He does, His glory is magnified through our lives. So when the waves lap at our feet, and the dust rises behind us, step out in faith and walk on "dry ground through the midst of the sea".

The Red Sea Rules

Rule #1- Realize that God means for you to be where you are. (Ex. 14:1-2). The same God who led you in will lead you out.
Rule#2- Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief. (Exodus 14:3-4) The next time you are overwhelmed, instead of asking "How can I get out of this mess?", try asking, "How can God be glorified in this situation?". God deliberately orchestrated the Exodus events as an occassion for demonstrating the power He yields over His enemies and the elements.
Rule #3- Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. (Exodus 14:5-9) Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself. When we serve Him with watertight obedience even in small things, God is glorified, just as at the Red Sea.
Rule #4: Pray! (Exodus 14:10). When we can't press forward, move sideward, or step backward, it's time to look upward and to ask God to make a way. "Faith is to prayer what the feather is to the arrow; it feathers the arrow of prayer, and makes it fly swifter, and pierce the throne of grace". - Thomas Watson
Rule #5- Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work. (Exodus 14:13-14). He alone can storm the impregnable, devise the improbale, and perform the impossible. He alone can part the waters.
Rule #6- When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith. (Exodus 14:15) "God never gives guidance for two steps at a time. I must take one step, and then I get light for the next. This keeps the heart in abiding dependence upon God".
-C.H.Mackintosh
Rule #7- Envision God's enveloping presence. (Exodus 14:19-20). When you find yourself between sword and sea, remember that difficult times can sensitize us to God's nearness. He's never so close as when we're shipwrecked on omnipotence and driven by despair into His chambers where we find Him "a very present help in trouble". (Ps. 46:1)
Rule #8- Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. (Exodus 14:21-22). In the unfolding of His providence, burdens become blessings, tears lead to triumph, and the redemptive grace of God overcomes the undercurrents of life in the experiences of His children.
Rule #9- View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. (Exodus 14:30-31). We don't always know why God allows problems, but we know He intends to use them to heighten our maturity and deepen our faith. Trials and troubles are dumbbells and treadmills for the soul. They develop strength and stamina.
Rule #10- Don't forget to praise Him.  (Exodus 15:1-2). If wisdom is seeing things from God's point of view, praise is the natural reaction to that viewpoint. It's our typical expression of joyful confidence and triumphant thanksgiving at what God has done, is doing, and is going to do. 

So whether you are on the upper side or underside of the storm, whether you are on the east bank or west bank of the Red Sea, God will make a way. And as He does, don't forget to praise Him. 

About the Author: Rob J. Morgan: Author, Expositor, Speaker, Pastor. He is the pastor of The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served for 29 years. He served as a staff writer for Dr. David Jeremiah and Turning Points Magazine, and has many articles published in other leading Christian periodicals.He worked with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His wife Katrina is battling Multiple Sclerosis, he has 3 children and ten grandchildren.