Rabbi Nathan, citing Abba Yossi Hamechuzi, preserves a remarkable exchange between God and Moses at the Red Sea — one that reveals the extraordinary trust God had placed in His servant.
When Moses cried out in prayer, God responded: "Why do you cry out to Me?" But the reason was not what Moses might have expected. God did not say, "Stop praying because prayer is useless." He said something far more astonishing: "Have I not had it written that 'In all of My house he is trusted'?" (Numbers 12:7).
That verse refers to Moses himself. God was quoting His own testimony about Moses' faithfulness. And the implication was staggering: You, Moses, are trusted throughout My entire domain. You are in My dominion. The sea is in My dominion. And I have appointed you a keeper over it.
Moses was not merely a prophet who received instructions. He was the appointed steward of God's creation — including the sea itself. He did not need to beg God to intervene. He had already been given authority over the waters. All he needed to do was exercise it.
Therefore: "Raise your staff" (Exodus 14:16). The command was not God granting new power in a moment of crisis. It was God reminding Moses of power he already possessed. The staff in Moses' hand was the instrument of a cosmic stewardship — a position of trust so absolute that even the sea recognized his authority. Moses did not need to cry out. He needed to act, because the sea was already under his charge.