“If you want to make a sidewalk through the sea, you’ve got to get your feet wet. Most of us spend the majority of our lives waiting for God to split the Red Sea. Maybe, just maybe, God is waiting for you to wade into the water.”- Mark Batterson
The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”- Exodus 14:15 (ESV)
On Day 1 (“Wade into the Water”) of Do It for a Day, Mark Batterson tells of a legend in Judaism about a man named Nahshon. According to rabbinic tradition, Nahshon waded into the Red Sea neck-deep, right up to his nostrils. Because none of the other tribes wanted to go first. Certainly, God made a sidewalk through the sea, but Nahshon made the miracle possible. As The Comparative 1st Century Aramaic Bible in Plain English translates Psalm 114:3 — “The Sea saw him and fled.”
Therefore, Pastor Batterson stresses, you must do the natural if you want God to do the super. Thus, you need to:
- make a defining decision
- take a calculated risk
- make a selfless sacrifice
- take a flying leap of faith
Hence, while faith involves being sure of what you hope for, faith is more than imagining unborn tomorrows. With faith, you take the initiative today. Taking the first step before God reveals the second step! Consequently, Mark eliminates three excuses upfront:
1. I’m not qualified. Above all, Pastor Batterson underscores, God doesn’t call the qualified. Rather, He qualifies the called. And God makes His power perfect in our weakness – He puts His glory on display.
2. I’m not ready. As the author astutely observes, you’ll never be ready. Hence, when God gives you a green light, it’s not ready, set, go. Instead, faith flips the script — go, set, ready!
3. I’m waiting for the right opportunity. Aren’t we all? So, Mark exhorts, seize the little opportunities that are around you all the time. As Mark counsels, quit trying to win the lottery. Start winning the day!
Finally, Mark encourages, put one foot in front of the other. Like Nahshon, the patron saint of plodders.
Today’s question: What Scriptures help you get your feet wet? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Work through it (resistance)”
