A Path through the Sea
“Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there.” (Psalm 77:19 NLT)
This Psalm was written by someone facing what appeared to be unconquerable circumstances. Some have speculated it came out of the Babylonian captivity. Regardless, there are some important insights or takeaways which are enduringly germane and informative for us today.
Looking at a brief overview, we see that the psalmist begins with a series of doubts or questions regarding the character of God. Is God still there? Does he still answer prayer? Are we still his children? These as well as other questions are raised as the psalmist ponders the inevitability of the Lord’s response.
Next our author moves to an essential phase, that of rehearsing the past occasions wherein God showed himself to be magnanimous and miraculous. The song eventuates at a point where the psalmist concludes God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
With honest assessment, I think we would agree that we too are or have at some stage in our lives been where this writer expresses. We don’t like admitting it, but having doubts with respect to God’s willingness to insert himself into our circumstances can easily arise when confronting what appear to be intractable situations. We always tend to look for the immediate solution irrespective of the situation while overlooking the eternal consequences.
It is always a safer, more genuine and faithful response to seek to know God’s purpose and will in all circumstances, but certainly more difficult with trying conditions bearing down upon us. Questioning God’s character or willingness to be involved is never fruitful. Harboring doubts is always destructive to our faith. This is where having faithful persons in your life is so important. I am blessed in that my wife always calls me into faith and confidence in God. This is where a biblically functioning body of Christ is imperative in all our lives. Encouragement and edification are cornerstone features of a healthy church.
The psalmist ultimately takes us to the correct response by citing historical evidence of God’s providential involvement in Israel’s life. It is at this point that I see a universal truth that all believers should embrace. The psalmist references Israel’s experience at the Red Sea. He points out how the way through the sea always existed in the providence of God.
It was always the Lord’s intention to have the children of Israel face the challenge of the Red Sea with the army of Egypt at their backs. This was their first opportunity to recall the Lord’s miraculous deeds in Egypt and make a faithful response. God was not caught by surprise or have to come up with another plan at the last minute. The Lord meant to use this situation all along as part of his dealing with Israel.
Our challenge is to overcome the knee jerk responses to the trials and tribulations we encounter and begin to practice the faithful responses like our psalmist arrived at. We need to discover God’s purpose in the challenging ordeals of life and come to realize the “path through the sea” that he not only knew was there but had purposed from the beginning. In doing this, we will be positioning ourselves for the conformity with Christ that the Lord desires.
Takeaways from Psalm 77:
- Don’t demean yourself over momentary doubts or for questioning the character of God.
- Choose to rehearse God’s goodness and blessings in in your life.
- Recall specific events where you experienced the intervention and involvement of the Lord.
- Always remember there is a “path through every sea” and that discovering God’s purpose will reveal it.
