Read Time: 5 Minutes
It came to my spirit, in the middle of worship, when I heard the statement, “Look to the dry ground.” My first thought was, “What does this have to do with the song that we were worshiping unto the Lord?”
The short answer…absolutely nothing. Then, I heard the statement again, “Look to the dry ground.” I went into prayer and asked the Lord what He was saying to me.
Soon, I was taken into a vision looking at a massive body of water. I was standing on the banks of a large river that had a steady flow moving from my left to the right. As I looked at the water, I heard the Lord say, “Can you see the dry ground?” Then, I heard the Lord say to me, “Stop looking backward and look to go forward. Look to the dry ground.”
I looked across to the other side of the river bank, and then the Lord said again, “Stop looking backward and look to go forward. Look to the dry ground.” Then I was back in the sanctuary worshiping the Lord with everyone at our home church.
Clearly, the Lord was saying something to me, but to what measure I did not fully comprehend. So, I began to pray again. I needed to have a more clear understanding of what God was saying. Throughout my time in prayer, I was reminded of Moses standing at the banks of the Red Sea.
In the book of Exodus (NASB), chapter 14, verses 10-16 state, “As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, “Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians”? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!’ But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.’“
Remaining in Bondage Instead of Walking in Freedom
The Bible tells us that the children of Israel, who had been slaves to Egypt for hundreds of years, were now on the banks of the Red Sea with Pharaoh drawing near to them. For many generations, they had only known the snares of Pharaoh and the bondage that Egypt had entrapped their people. Moses, the one who would be known as the deliverer of the Israelites, had been able to see their freedom set into motion. But, that freedom seemed to have only been a short-lived experience as their former captor was now about to catch up to them, and death was nearer than ever before.
Before we go further, it is important to acknowledge that the people of Israel were not exactly excited about this journey in their efforts to follow Moses. Yes, they were no longer slaves under Egyptian rule. But, they were not fully on board with Moses as their new leader. This is evident when the children of Israel declare unto Moses, “…Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness,” (Ex. 14:11-12, NASB).
Look to the Dry Ground
The Lord did not say to look at what appears to be an overwhelming challenge. The Lord did not say to look at what appears to be an approaching enemy. The Lord did not say to look at the massive obstacle in front of you and hope that you will overcome it. The Lord did not say to engage in a physical battle against your enemy. The Lord said, “Look to the dry ground.”
When the children of Israel were facing the Red Sea, everything seemed impossible and appeared to be impassible, yet the Lord said to Moses, “…Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land,” (Ex. 14:15-16, NASB).
I want to encourage you (and me) to look to the dry ground. Don’t become so focused on looking back and looking at a daunting obstacle that is before you. See beyond the waters, and look to the dry ground. God is for you and me. We must become people who are willing to see beyond our reality from the foundation of His truth.
We cannot settle in this season.
Renounce the spirit of fear now, in the name of Jesus. Renounce the spirit of bondage now, in the name of Jesus. Renounce the spirit of apathy now, in the name of Jesus. Look forward and press onward. There is dry ground to walk on!
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Ryan Johnson is dedicated in helping equip the body of Christ to awaken the nations with a prophetic call of a rising Ekklesia. He is a son of God, husband, and father of four. Ryan has devoted his life to the righteousness of Christ, with the demonstration of the Father’s heart in regions, individuals and the church across the world. Ryan is the author of “Illegitimacy: The Battle Over Your Identity,” “How to Contend for Your Miracle” and “Racism: The Church and The Nation.” He has had many articles released through Charisma Magazine, Charisma News, The Elijah List and Spirit Fuel. He has also appeared as a guest on The Shaun Tabatha Show, Elijah Streams, Engaging the Supernatural and Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural. Ryan is the host of The Blacksmith Chronicles Podcast, an Instructor at Summit School of Revival and travels throughout the United States and the Nations as a full-time itinerant minister.
