1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:04,180 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your daily Bible verse. 3 00:00:14,580 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: The podcast that examines one verse each day to learn 4 00:00:18,180 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: more about God and His will for our lives. I'm 5 00:00:21,020 --> 00:00:25,329 Speaker 1: your host, Kyle Norman. After a brief message from one 6 00:00:25,350 --> 00:00:41,229 Speaker 1: of our sponsors, we will continue with today's verse. Today's 7 00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: verse can be found in Exodus chapter 14, verse 21. 8 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,019 Speaker 1: Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and 9 00:00:50,140 --> 00:00:52,540 Speaker 1: all that night the Lord drove the sea back with 10 00:00:52,580 --> 00:00:55,950 Speaker 1: a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. 11 00:00:56,930 --> 00:01:02,300 Speaker 1: The waters were divided. The other day, I got annoyed 12 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,700 Speaker 1: at Amazon. I had ordered something to be delivered to 13 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,490 Speaker 1: the house, but on the day that it was to arrive, 14 00:01:08,650 --> 00:01:12,250 Speaker 1: there was a message saying that the delivery was delayed. 15 00:01:13,290 --> 00:01:16,429 Speaker 2: Did you know I had to wait a whole weekend 16 00:01:16,530 --> 00:01:21,410 Speaker 2: before I got my parcel? How rude. How often does 17 00:01:21,430 --> 00:01:24,690 Speaker 2: this happen to us? If we don't receive the things 18 00:01:24,750 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: that we desire or search for as quickly or as 19 00:01:28,420 --> 00:01:33,050 Speaker 2: efficiently as we deem appropriate, then we can grow quite sour, 20 00:01:33,130 --> 00:01:35,770 Speaker 2: can't we? I know that if I go to the 21 00:01:35,810 --> 00:01:40,339 Speaker 2: grocery store and the specific type of mushroom or leafy 22 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: green is not in stock, well then my whole day 23 00:01:43,540 --> 00:01:47,620 Speaker 2: can just feel wasted. We live in a world of 24 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 2: instant gratification. Overnight shipping, 24-hour fitness centers, skip-the-dishes-and-door-dash, More and more, 25 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,860 Speaker 2: the world is not just at our fingertips, but it 26 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 2: is instantaneously at our fingertips. So how often do we 27 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 2: translate this attitude to our life with God, believing that 28 00:02:11,060 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 2: the redemptive activity of God must be experienced right away? 29 00:02:16,820 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: And we might not even know that we think this 30 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,970 Speaker 2: way until something happens in our life and we immediately 31 00:02:23,030 --> 00:02:27,070 Speaker 2: believe that God has abandoned us or neglected us. Or 32 00:02:27,130 --> 00:02:32,730 Speaker 2: maybe God is punishing us. I've grown to adore the 33 00:02:32,770 --> 00:02:36,770 Speaker 2: book of Exodus. Because the entire book is rooted in 34 00:02:36,830 --> 00:02:41,220 Speaker 2: a radical sense of patience. When we think of the 35 00:02:41,340 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: iconic scene of Israel crossing the Red Sea, it's easy 36 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 2: to have Charlton Heston or Disney animation running through our minds. 37 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 2: In these adaptations, the crossing of the Red Sea only 38 00:02:55,220 --> 00:02:59,980 Speaker 2: takes a few moments. Moses prays, God acts, and in 39 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,540 Speaker 2: ten minutes the Israelites are on the other side of 40 00:03:02,580 --> 00:03:07,900 Speaker 2: the sea, walking in liberation and freedom. But notice that 41 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,710 Speaker 2: in Scripture, the parting of the sea took a while. 42 00:03:12,990 --> 00:03:17,650 Speaker 2: Scripture says that Moses stood there with arms raised all night. 43 00:03:18,710 --> 00:03:20,690 Speaker 2: And it was only in the last watch of the 44 00:03:20,750 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 2: night that Israel got to begin walking on dry land. 45 00:03:25,470 --> 00:03:28,829 Speaker 2: The last watch of the night begins roughly around 3 a.m., 46 00:03:29,570 --> 00:03:31,850 Speaker 2: and so standing with his hands raised in the air 47 00:03:32,350 --> 00:03:35,530 Speaker 2: is a symbol of prayer, a prayer that Moses prayed 48 00:03:35,750 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 2: all night long. Moses stood praying to the Lord for hours. Now, 49 00:03:42,900 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 2: it didn't have to be this way. Surely God could 50 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: have parted the Red Sea in no time flat, or 51 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 2: simply removed the sea altogether. But God worked slowly. so 52 00:03:55,940 --> 00:04:00,860 Speaker 2: that Israel could grow in their capacity for faith and trust. 53 00:04:02,220 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 2: The lengthy parting of the Red Sea helped Israel learn 54 00:04:06,340 --> 00:04:09,650 Speaker 2: that even when they were afraid, even when they didn't 55 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,290 Speaker 2: know what to do or where to go, they could 56 00:04:12,410 --> 00:04:15,690 Speaker 2: trust that God would be with them and save them. 57 00:04:17,490 --> 00:04:21,170 Speaker 2: After Israel crossed the sea, Exodus 14 states that when 58 00:04:21,190 --> 00:04:25,049 Speaker 2: the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed 59 00:04:25,130 --> 00:04:29,670 Speaker 2: against the Egyptians, they stood there awestruck, and they put 60 00:04:29,710 --> 00:04:34,390 Speaker 2: their trust in God and in Moses. You know, centuries later, 61 00:04:35,190 --> 00:04:39,100 Speaker 2: Peter wrote, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, 62 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 2: as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, 63 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: not wanting anyone to perish, but to come to repentance. 64 00:04:49,850 --> 00:04:52,790 Speaker 2: It is the slowness of God's work that becomes the 65 00:04:52,830 --> 00:04:58,430 Speaker 2: fodder for spiritual growth and resilience. God's slowness doesn't mean 66 00:04:58,490 --> 00:05:02,030 Speaker 2: that God is not doing anything. It actually means that 67 00:05:02,070 --> 00:05:06,310 Speaker 2: God is inviting us to fully enter the reality of 68 00:05:06,390 --> 00:05:11,630 Speaker 2: God's saving act. Are we open to the long and 69 00:05:11,710 --> 00:05:15,470 Speaker 2: drawn-out work of God in our lives? Or are we 70 00:05:15,589 --> 00:05:20,730 Speaker 2: too busy looking for the flashy, instantaneous miracles that And 71 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,469 Speaker 2: if we do that, we might miss the way that 72 00:05:23,510 --> 00:05:28,150 Speaker 2: the Spirit sustains us, provides for us, protects us, and 73 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:32,770 Speaker 2: guides us. So what might it look like to lean 74 00:05:32,910 --> 00:05:37,190 Speaker 2: into the slow movement of God, daring to trust that 75 00:05:37,230 --> 00:05:40,850 Speaker 2: God's saving power would be revealed and that our next 76 00:05:40,870 --> 00:05:45,900 Speaker 2: steps would be shown? The life of faith doesn't run 77 00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 2: on the course of instant gratification. God often leads us 78 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 2: to places where we might rather not go, and places 79 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,820 Speaker 2: us in situations which are so far beyond our control 80 00:05:58,260 --> 00:06:03,290 Speaker 2: that it becomes clear that we need God's help. Faithfulness 81 00:06:03,330 --> 00:06:06,870 Speaker 2: in the Christian life, therefore, is not about getting what 82 00:06:06,950 --> 00:06:10,070 Speaker 2: we want when we want it, but it is about 83 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:13,780 Speaker 2: looking to the Lord when we feel stretched beyond our 84 00:06:13,820 --> 00:06:17,979 Speaker 2: abilities and daring to trust that God is at work.