When you encounter the promise of Jesus to do what you ask Him, what comes to your mind? What would you ask Him? For myself, I know the things that I am asking Him for. They are things relating to my family's health and well being. Things I should have been asking Him for a long time ago. Are there things like that in your life? Have you thought to yourself, "I should pray about that"? But something keeps you from doing it. Actually praying about something is a commitment to God, in a way. If you are talking to God, then other things might come up; things you are trying to avoid right now. And if you are in the habit of praying, how easy it is for the prayer to become just words. There is a focus that is required, that is, in itself, a small act of faith. So that was me. I might have wanted the answer, in theory, but in reality, I was looking for a way that didn't require the supernatural. It's not that I was comfortable with the way things were, but that change seemed more uncomfortable.
I saw a documentary on Moses and the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, the other day. People have been speculating about the location of the crossing of the Red Sea and Mount Sinai for many years. But here they were showing the obvious crossing location in the center of the Gulf of Aqaba. And a short travel distance from the crossing location was a mountain that was blackened on top, like it had been on fire. At the base of the mountain was a large pile of stones, with etchings of bulls on it. A short distance away there was a large rock that looked like it had been split in two, with signs of water erosion on it. All this was surrounded by a chain link fence by the Saudi government, with stern warnings to stay away. There were other artifacts that made it hard to dispute that Moses had led the children of Israel to that location, and had received the Ten Commandments, just as the book of Exodus had said. That is, if you believe in miracles. The problem was that learned people have been seeking naturalistic explanations for the Red Sea crossing, and so they have been looking in the wrong places. You don't have to take my word for it. You can look it up. All the good, bad, and ugly is right there on Youtube.
My interest in the story, for the purpose of this blog, is the story of the Red Sea crossing itself, from the book of Exodus. Moses was leading the Israelites across the wilderness toward the very place where he had seen God in the burning bush. Following the trade route that was common at the time would have taken him just to the north of the Gulf of Aqaba, safely on land, and then to the land of Midian. Of course, Pharaoh's army was chasing them. But God told them to turn aside and camp at a location along the sea. Here, they were trapped, as Pharaoh closed in on them. They could have crossed to the north of the water, but their enemies would still be chasing them. God led them to be trapped against the sea, not just to show them a miracle, but to rid them of their enemies. The Israelites complained, because they were not used to freedom. They were used to slavery. Kind of like you and me. God actually told Moses to stop crying out to Him and tell the people to move toward the water. He parted the waters and they walked to the other side on dry land. Then God closed the waters on Pharaoh and his chariots.
I see lessons for me in that story. First, God wants to rid me of my enemies. But I need to see them as my enemies. I am not talking about people, I am talking about spiritual enemies, because that is the nature of our fight (Ephesians 6). At one point the Israelites actually begged to go back to Egypt to be slaves. If I take a "naturalistic" view of my life, then I tend to get cozy with things that my enemy has sent to hurt me. Second, there is no possible breakthrough in my life, without first encountering an obstacle. For much of my life, I have been taking the easy way, around the Red Sea. Comfort level stays constant. Enemies remain. Don't be afraid of the obstacle. Without the Red Sea, there can be no parting of the waters.
My prayers require faith. That faith might mean taking an action where there was none before. It might require standing still and waiting when I want to jump ahead. It might require a change of heart. For you, all I can say is, start moving in the direction of faith, and God will meet you. He wants to answer your prayers.