Sacred Whispers Blog

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”

Exodus 14:15

There is an old tale of a caravan traveling across the desert at night. When a violent sandstorm swept in, the travelers froze in place, convinced they would lose their way if they moved even an inch. Hours passed. The storm howled. Their fear deepened. Finally, the guide stood, lifted his lantern, and shouted over the wind, “If you stay here, you will die. If you move, I will lead you.” The caravan trembled, but they followed the light one step at a time. Only later did they learn that the storm had nearly buried them where they stood. What felt risky was actually rescue. Their safety met them in motion.

GO FORWARD

There are seasons in a believer’s life when God interrupts our hesitation with a word that shifts everything: Go forward. It is one of the clearest and most unsettling commands He ever speaks. That word often arrives when nothing around us looks ready to move,  when courage is thin, when understanding is limited, and when the path ahead is hidden beneath an unsettling fog. Yet it is precisely in these moments that God turns from watching our prayers… to watching our feet. Scripture consistently shows us that faith matures not because we understood the command, but because we obeyed it.

Consider Israel standing at the edge of the Red Sea. Behind them came the pounding hooves of Pharaoh’s chariots; before them stretched an ocean with no visible path. Fear filled the air. Complaints rose like smoke. Everything in them wanted to freeze, retreat, or protest the God who had led them into an impossible place. Yet God did not explain Himself. He did not apologize for the tension. He did not offer alternatives or escape plans. Instead, He gave a direct command: “Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). Forward, into water that could drown them. Forward, toward a future they could not yet see. Forward, into a miracle that had not yet materialized.

God often ordains impossibility as the starting point for obedience, so that when the sea finally opens, no one mistakes the source of the victory. Forward is the direction of faith, not because it is comfortable, but because it is aligned with the character of the God who goes before His people (Deuteronomy 31:8).

An old African proverb says, “The path grows clearer beneath the feet that walk it.” The elders understood what Israel discovered on that terrifying shoreline: clarity is often withheld until motion begins. God builds the road beneath obedient feet. His commands carry their own construction.

The Red Sea did not part while Israel was debating. It opened while they were obeying. God waited for movement before He released a miracle. This pattern appears throughout Scripture:

• Abraham went out “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
• Joshua’s priests stepped into the Jordan before the waters receded (Joshua 3:13–17).
• The lepers in Luke were healed “as they went” (Luke 17:14).
• Peter walked on water only when he stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:29).

Heaven does not reward contemplation; it rewards obedience. The river does not part for thinkers; it parts for walkers. Forward is not the direction of those who feel strong. Forward is the direction of those who know God is stronger.

Forward reveals who God is. It uncovers His sovereignty, exposes His faithfulness, and throws a spotlight on His ability to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Sometimes God waits until the water is touching your toes before He shows His power. Sometimes, He waits until your heart feels stretched, your courage feels thin, and your resources feel exhausted. Why? Because God wants to be the unmistakable source of the miracle.

What God told Moses, He still whispers to us in the hidden corners of our lives: “Why are you crying out to Me? Go forward.” Not because crying is wrong,  but because crying cannot replace obedience.

Forward faith is the faith that refuses to let fear define the borders of the possible. Forward faith is the faith that anchors itself in the unchanging nature of God:

• His sovereignty - He rules over what you cannot see (Psalm 103:19).
• His faithfulness - He finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6).
• His presence - He goes with you into every unknown (Isaiah 43:2).
• His promises - He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19).

When your feet move forward, your soul begins to remember who God is.

Corrie ten Boom once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” That statement is not sentimental,  it is deeply theological. It rests on the conviction that God’s character is more stable than our circumstances. Our uncertainty does not diminish His sovereignty. Our fear does not weaken His power. Our hesitation does not cancel His promise.

So if you sense the nudge,  the whisper,  the holy pressure of God urging you forward… take the step. Trembling movement is still movement. A shaking foot is still obedience. A whispered “yes” still makes hell nervous.

And like Israel, you will discover that the waters you feared most are the very waters God intends to divide. The path you could not see is the path He planned all along. The place that looked like an ending will become the beginning of a testimony. Forward is the place where God has been waiting for you to arrive.

PRAYER

Father, I hear Your call to move. Help me trust Your voice more than my fear. Steady my heart where I feel unsure, strengthen me where I hesitate, and guide me where the path is not yet visible. Give me the courage to walk toward what only You can open. As I move, let Your peace rise within me, and let Your presence go before me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

At some point today, sit quietly and ask yourself:

“Where am I waiting for certainty instead of trusting God?”

Write down one step you can take today that represents obedience rather than hesitation.

It doesn’t need to be large. It only needs to be faithful.

Pray this simple, ancient request as you take that step: “Lord, make the path clear as I walk it.” And trust that He will.