This One Act Can Shift Everything — Even Before Things Change

The Jewish people are cornered at the Red Sea by the Egyptians. They don't know where to go. And the sea thing God had split for them. God had saved their lives and destroyed their enemies, the Egyptians. And what I want to share with you today is not just about the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, but the miracle of the mindset that the Jewish people had when the splitting had split. Because with this mindset, we can apply this to any of the challenges that we're experiencing, any of the roadblocks, any of the seas that seem to be in our way, and we can just plow straight through. So, here's what happens. As soon as they had completed uh the the miracle, the Torah, the scribes in depth, the song by the sea, they praised God. They sang a song to God. The song is Moshe Israel. The Torah says, "Then the Jewish people together with Moses sang and they praised God." But if you look at the literal translation of the text, it says," which literally translates as then they will sing. Not that they did sing, but they will sing. Well, if the miracle had just happened, why are we describing what they will do as opposed to what they have done or what they are doing now? This is a question that many of the commentaries address each with their own unique perspectives. But I'd like to share with you the perspective of the says the implication of then they will sing implies that perhaps the miracle didn't yet happen. Perhaps they didn't yet cross the sea. Perhaps they didn't even know what miracle was going to take place. But maybe they were just firm in their faith, knowing that God is going to help them, knowing that it was God who took them out of Egypt and that God will finish the job. Something good is going to happen despite being cornered by the Egyptians. So the Torah therefore says, "Then they will sing as if to say, we know something's going to happen and we're making this commitment that we're going to be thankful when it does happen. We're going to sing when it does happen. We're anticipating something good. We have faith. We have trust in a better future. And when we have trust and faith in a better future and we know that one day we will soon sing, we create hope. And when we create hope, spaces that we never thought could open suddenly do open for us. Decades ago, there was a basketball team and I forget the name, but the coach wanted the team to taste success so they could win. So what he did was he threw them a party, an afterparty prior to winning beforehand, a pre-party. Usually you win the game, then you have an afterparty. But over here he had created an afterparty before the act actual success during practice because he wanted them to taste the success because if they can taste success they can hope for it in the future. When we hope for success when we make that commitment that we're going to sing, we're going to party. We're going to celebrate because we know I don't know how but I know somehow this roadblock is going to move. we're able to just plow right through that sea and miracles can happen. When we know that we're going to sing, when we know that a better future will come. When I see couples who are going through a very difficult time because they're just not always on the same page and they're fighting and they're arguing and there's disrespect and they seems to be a lack of connection at least at that moment. I'll say to them, hey, if this problem went away, I don't know how, and I'm not saying it will, but what would you hope to replace it? and they'll describe what they want instead. And if somehow what you wanted instead, whether it be the peace, the love, the connection, the trust, whatever it be, were to show up, how would you notice? And they describe how they would notice success. And I'd get them into this mindset of starting to envision success like the Jewish people standing at the sea committing that we're going to sing. Even if right now it's difficult, we're committing to this understanding and knowledge and trust that things are going to be better, which creates hope, which creates space and ultimately salvation, not just for the future, but for the present. Let's have trust. Let's have faith. Let's have hope. Let's open our minds to singing in the future, knowing that goodness is going to come. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.