There's A Time For Action!

The story is told of a woman who woke her husband to tell him she was in labor and needed to go to the hospital. He jumped out of bed, dropped to his knees, and said, “Honey, let’s pray.” She told him that it was not the time to kneel and pray. It was time to get dressed and head for the hospital. It was time for action!

This was the type of message God gave Moses when He said of the Israelites, “Why do you cry to Me?” (Exodus 14:15). Not long before that, Pharaoh had permitted the Israelites to leave Egypt, but then he changed his mind (Exodus 14:5-6). Wanting to bring them back, he and his army chased after them (Exodus 14:7-9).

The Israelites were terrified when they saw the Egyptians approaching. They were trapped at the shore of the Red Sea, with nowhere to go! But Moses assured Israel that God would deliver them (Exodus 14:13-14). Now was a time for action — not crying to Him. It was time to “go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:16).

There’s a proper time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1), including a time to pray and a time to act. When we see someone who lacks food and clothes, it’s time to provide what they need (James 2:15-16).

Dear reader, we need to fully trust God (Proverbs 3:5-6) and take immediate action! (1 John 3:17-18; cf. Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:34-35).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets