Fourth Stage: The Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14)

Theme: The LORD brings you out.

So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh that he pursued the people of God even while they were marching away in triumph. The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh's whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea. The people of God looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. And they complained to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert." But Moses answered the people, "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still." Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the water was thus divided, the people of God marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. The Egyptians followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea. As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole army which had followed the people of God into the sea. Not a single one of them escaped.

Let us meditate on when we got out of our old condition and how the shadows of the past followed us, trying to bring us back into slavery. But, because of our confidence in God, we were able to overcome the temptations of the flesh, the devil, and the world.

Let us pray for all beginners in the spiritual life so they might not fall into despair and give up the choice of holiness at the first temptation.


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For Spiritual Direction

This stage goes from the moment you respond to God’s call, passing through a darkness, to the moment you experience the first victory.

The length of this stage depends from one person to another. Some people experience the Desert of the sea of reeds for more than 10 years others for less than two years. Usually, this stage lasts more than one year. All people experience the end of “The Desert of the Sea of Reeds” stage at the moment they move to a different environment or position.

 In this stage, you experience God’s absent Presence. God remains a priority. You experience His graces on a regular basis (monthly). The soul searches with all her strength perfection, holiness. The soul wants to satisfy God.

 Man responds to God’s call:

 great zeal for holiness- got married- involved and active in the Church- joined the Church (Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist)- joined a community- joined religious life- search for vocation- I am looking for something else- There’s no way I can put someone before God- desire to holiness- desire to be with Jesus- difficult to be in the world- I want to be with him sitting at His feet with nothing else to distract me- joined men’s group-

 Man experiences God’s providence:

 related to the Father in heaven rather than to Jesus- God is trying to make eye contact with me but I turn my face- God wants me to go deeper- trying to be spiritual- I want to be a man, responsible- Didn’t see anything else but God- discovering the truth- bringing people to the Church- searching more- no drugs, no abuse- trying to be obedient- counselor for 3 years- spiritual guidance- psychological counseling-

 Man experiences the shadows of his past:

 unsettled feelings- felt trapped- panicked- never talked about hurt- fear of letting people see his/her darkness- does not confront people- fear of getting fired- emotional breakdown- anxiety attacks- struggling with how am I a sinner?-  slowly getting worse after financial problems- God is hidden sometimes- I’m afraid where to go- on pills, depressed- fears of intimacy- a lot of fights- anger & hatred towards men/women started coming up- got frigid- I would see other people prospering, I don’t understand- felt failure- Why can’t I get things right?- lost the house- like going to the wilderness- fear of not finding a job- I did not want to do anything- laziness- refusing to do a job because it’s hard- I can never be successful- I can never make it in the world- conflicts with priests-

 Man experiences a great victory:

 healing with father- confronting the abuser, forgave him- I wanted to move-

 Proclaiming the victory at the end of “the Desert of the Sea of Reeds” period will lead you to the next stage: “The desert of Shur”.