Stretch out your hand

One of the hardest things to learn about living the life of faith is knowing how much we are to do and how much God will do for us. For those who do not believe in God this problem does not exist, since they simply go about their life depending on themselves alone for whatever changes they wish to make in their circumstances. But as Christians we have the assurance that God is not only able and willing to help us, but that He has on many occasions promised to help us when we call, and given us the assurance that He is “able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we can ask or think.”

But what we are not always so sure of is how God will help us, and what part he may expect us to play in answering our own prayers for help. Unfortunately there really isn’t a simple “one size fits all” answer to this question, but there is are certain principles found in the scripture that give us an idea of how God has worked, is working, and will continue to work in his people’s lives to accomplish his good pleasure.

Somewhere between Exodus 14:14 and 15, Moses cried out to God concerning the tight situation He and the Israelites were in. Then, in verse 16, God answered Moses, and told him, “Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the Red Sea and divide it.” If you think about this situation, it really is amazing. But beyond the sheer supernatural element of this story, it reveals a simple principle that helps us understand how God works together with us to accomplish his will in our lives.

Obviously God could have parted the Red Sea without any help from Moses. And it is equally obvious that Moses could not have parted the Red sea without any help from God. But what this story illustrates so well is that God didn’t part the Red Sea without Moses, he did it through Moses. Exodus 14:21 makes it clear that it was not until Moses stretched out his hand that God “Swept back Sea by a strong east wind.”

Then, once the Israelites had safely crossed the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his army had followed them into the sea, God again spoke to Moses, instructing him to “stretch out your hand over the Sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians.” Once again, it would have been very easy for God cause the Red Sea to return to its original state, but verse 27 makes it clear that it was not until Moses stretched out his hand that “The Sea returned to its normal state.”

What this story illustrates so well is that even though God has the power to do anything he wants when he wants, he very often will use us to accomplish his purposes in our life. God will use an act as simple as stretching out our hand as his cue to action, so to speak. Obviously it is the power of God that is accomplishing the purposes of God in the earth, but amazingly, God will often ask us to take part in this demonstration of his power.

If your wondering why God would do this, you really don’t have to look any further than your own children. Even at a young age we begin to expect our children to take part in things they have asked us to do for them. Whether its moving a heavy object, drawing a detailed picture, or completing a complicated math problem, as parents we instinctively expect our children to have some part in solving their problems.

We do this, of course, because we want them to grow into responsible, independent adults who are able to take initiative in solving their problems. And this is precisely why God does it as well, because He wants to see us all grow into mature sons of God! So the next time you find yourself crying out to God for something, be prepared for his answer – he just might ask you to “stretch out your hand and…”