The Waters (part two)

The wind on the sea produces enormous waves which crash and bounce on the shore.  It is a majestic sight, but the wind on the sea is troublesome.  It churns up the sand, and flying sand stings.

"...the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."  Ex 14:21, 22

I imagine Israel wedged between the sea and the pillar caught in a wind storm. Not an ordinary storm but a supernatural one coming from the east, right at them. All night they were pummeled by the sand.  It got into their tents. It covered their clothing, their bedding and their hair.  It scratched their eyes and added grit to their food. Moses said, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you today..." (Exodus 14:13)  In that situation most of us would resent the storm and complain, "Just when things were hopeless, they got worse." But that sand that peeled their skin was needed.  Yes, it blasted them, and yes it weighed down their caravan as they traversed the ocean floor with pounds of sand tucked in their baggage, but the sand prepared the way for salvation.

Trials that sting; sins we shake out of our hair only to find more tomorrow.  These are all precious reminders that the Lord is preparing for our deliverance. Let the wind fly on the sea, it is there we discover salvation.  "...they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand." (Deuteronomy 33:19)