The waters saw You, God. The waters saw You;
they trembled. Even the depths shook. Psalm 77:16 (HCSB)
When the Israelites were on the run from
Egypt they came to the edge of the Red Sea. I would image at that point they
would be filled with anxiety and fear. The Egyptians were behind them, and they
would never make it trying to go north because it was too long a trip. God
actually led them to this point and there they stood looking at the Red Sea.
However, God displayed His power and the waters parted, and they were told to go
across at this location. I would also imagine that any of us in this situation
would be loaded down with an anxious feeling as we crossed via the sea bed. But
something must have caught their attention while they passed through as they
watched the water seeming fight to stay pulled back. The water must have
appeared to be afraid at this moment as well. The Israelites were afraid /
anxious about the water, but the water was afraid of the power of God. This is
what the Psalmist seems to be trying to point out. Even the very powerful force
of the water, although way outside the control of the Israelites, continued to
be under God’s control.
Matthew describes a great New Testament
version of this idea in chapter 14 of his Gospel. The disciples were on the
boat out on the Sea of Galilee. While they were there a huge storm blew in and
they became very fearful / anxious. Then Matthew tells us that Jesus came to
them by walking on top of the crazy waves generated by the storm. The picture
Jesus gave to them (and gives to us) is that the very thing causing them to be
scared or anxious was already under His full control (under His feet).
The bottom line
here is that God wants to show us that behind every event in life that causes
us to become anxious or fearful are already under His total control. That is
what the psalmist learned as he pondered the crossing of the Red Sea.
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