God’s zinger lines
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. — Exodus 14:15-16
Possessive, mighty, and loving likely come to mind when we begin to list the attributes God has. But how about funny? When we consider God’s character, this descriptor usually isn’t in the top 10, if mentioned at all.
But maybe it should be.
In this exchange between God and Moses, God is neither mean nor militant. On the contrary, God is funny. When He says tells the people to get moving [insert exclamation point here], The Great I AM is tossing out a line that should get a chuckle.
I think of the brilliant Sight and Sound playwrights who give us incredible shows in Lancaster, PA, and Branson, MO. This line? Oh. Yes. Golden.
Of all my theater stuff, the best role I have is being a dad, of course. And speaking of lines, I have shared this very zinger God sends to Moses many times. One of my little cherubs will still be doing THAT thing on the lawn or the porch when they should be on go mode in the van. And yes, I say, “Get moving!”
The humor comes because we know how this story for Moses and the people of Israel unfolds. Moses does pick up his staff. He raises his hand over the expanse of water. The Red Sea parts.
Like Moses in the moment here, we may not have every detail in how our story unfolds. God may be asking us to do the impossible, or at least something very, very challenging. We can find humor or delight in God because we know God has the perfect plan with perfect timing for us.
PRAYER: God, Your world is a stage. When You say, “Get moving!” may we do just that—move! You must smile at our pokiness. Help us smile back (or laugh in the moment) because like Moses we know You are making the right paths for us. Amen.