Thus Israel saw…so the people feared

Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. – Exodus 14v31

At first this may sound like a great picture of a nation following God. God part the Red Sea, Israel saw it and they feared the Lord and believed God and Moses. What a great example, right?

I am not so sure. This is the beginning of Israel’s pattern of only believing God when they saw Him do something that focused on them. The feared God and trusted Him when He took care of them according to their whims and desires. When they did not see Him act they did not believe.

Is that really faith? Is that really what God wants?

I suspect not. Remember Thomas? Remember how he did not believe and Jesus told him that was fine, but that there is a greater blessing when we believe without seeing? Remember what Hebrews tells us about faith being the evidence of things not seen?

Faith means we fear and obey God even when we don’t see. That is such a challenge. It is easy to trust Him when things are going well. It is easy to trust Him when He works in a great visible way. But how do we do when we don’t see what He is doing?

I am learning that I can really fear and trust God only when I do that before I see Him work.