Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD . . . Exodus 14:31
In a small group discussion recently, we answered this question – Why do you believe in God? If I’m honest, I’ve got to admit that I’ve believed because I grew up in a Christian home where my dad was a pastor. I don’t remember ever not believing in God. As a young adult though, my faith was challenged by my own questions regarding the problems of evil, human suffering, science, evolution, and dinosaurs. I read several books by atheists, who made some painfully sensible arguments against God. So, I set out to find answers, bringing me back to my belief. Still, I believed in God, but I lived for myself. This led to the disaster of my drug addiction, which taught me that faith wasn’t simply a knowledge of God’s existence. Rather, faith is a way of life. In daily attempting to follow God’s will instead of my own, he’s turned my life around. So, the best proof, and the greatest reason that I believe in God, is the evidence of what he’s done in my life. God has saved me from the disaster of myself.
This personal proof was also what inspired the Israelites to practice faith in today’s passage. In the story, God saved his people from the pursuing Egyptian army by miraculously parting the Red Sea. The Israelites crossed on dry ground but when the Egyptians followed, God closed the waters, destroying them. God’s people were miraculously saved from certain death, and so, they believed. This wasn’t just a casual acknowledgment of God’s existence. They practiced faith, following God, because of what he’d done in their lives.
A lot of us can look at that and nod. Yep, I know God’s real because of what he’s done for me. A lot of us though, just don’t see much evidence of God in our lives. He’s not really transformed us, largely because we haven’t let him. We’ve not taken our struggles to him in any way that has led to our radical obedience and so, we’ve not seen him work in our lives. Yes, we’ve prayed that he heals our loved ones or takes away our anxiety, but he hasn’t, and so, we just don’t see a lot of evidence. If we desire to experience God’s hand in our lives, then we must step out in faith. Even if we have doubts, particularly when we have doubts, we must go to him, asking what he wants us to do with our life trials. Then, we must obey, even when it requires sacrifice. Then, and often only then, will we see the proof of God working in our lives.