Miracle after miracle God had
performed on behalf of His people, finally leading them straight out of
slavery, away from the cruel hand of the Egyptians. He set them free. Free from
oppression. Free from captivity. Free from bondage. And the adventure was just
getting started.
When Pharaoh let the people go,
God didn’t lead them on the road that made most sense. The Bible tells us in
Exodus 13, that though the path was shorter right through the Philistine
country, God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return
to Egypt.” V. 17
So He led them around the desert
road over towards the Red Sea. Hot, dry, barren wasteland. I can almost see the
sea looming off in the distance. And hear the grumblings starting. Feel the
fear rising. As the Israelites got closer that sea must have looked bigger and
deeper. An obstacle that seemed too difficult to overcome. Their eyes focused
on the problem. They forgot about the bigness of their God.
Questions loomed. How were they
going to get across that thing? Surely someone had made a wrong turn. But just
how do you go about doing a U-turn with 2 million people in tow?
9 Powerful Reminders from the Red Sea Miracle:
1. God knows what He’s doing. “So God led the people around by the desert
road toward the Red Sea...” Ex. 13:18
Even if the way He’s leading doesn’t seem to make much sense and His
timing seems off, or the wait and journey get long, and wandering in desert
places is the last thing we want to do, we can trust Him. Always. He knows our
way. He sees the big picture. He has good in store. And though it may not have
been what we would have chosen, or how
we would done things, we can thank Him for His Sovereignty, His care over us,
and His leadership.
2. God leads our way. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a
pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to
given them light…” Ex. 13:21 God will
not leave us to fend for ourselves, struggling to find our way. He will lead
us. He promises to. We may not see him in a pillar of cloud or fire these days,
but we have His Word, and the Holy Spirit to give guidance to our days. He is
with us, He gives wisdom, He provides direction, so we never have to fear being
left on our own to figure things out. He goes ahead of us, He walks with us,
and He guards our way from behind. His Word gives truth and life and shows us
the way to walk in this world.
3. God is able to turn the
hearts of kings. He holds all things in His hands. He can turn around the
evil workings in this world to ultimately bring glory to His name, so that all
will know that He is the One True God. “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and
he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all
his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” Ex. 14:4
4. When we see obstacles, God
sees opportunities. He will make a way where there seems to be no way out.
The bigger the problem, the greater his ability to shine right through it all.
“The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued
the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea...” Ex. 14:9 Things
were looking bleak and dark, yet God had a plan. And it was amazing.
5. We can focus on the problem
or we can choose to trust God. The Israelites were terrified when they saw
the enemy coming their way. They doubted
their leader, they questioned God, they complained, they grumbled, they
panicked. Yet God didn’t get mad at
their humanity or fears. He only asked for their obedience. And their trust. “The Lord will fight for you, you need only
to be still.” Ex. 14:14
6. Prayer is vital, yet
sometimes God says, “It’s time to get moving!” God may ask for stillness
and trust and other times he might say, “Get going and keep trusting.” God said
to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Ex.
14:15 It’s so important to listen for
his voice, to know when to be still, and also to know when to get up and move
forward. His voice will lead us, He never leads in confusion, but always with
assurance and clarity. There’s times in life when we pray about a decision and
even though God shows us what to do, we get stuck along the way. So, we just
say we're still "praying about it." Over and over. Instead of moving
forward. And doing what He’s already said to do. If we ask Him for wisdom to
know the right steps to take, he will always provide direction. He will open
doors on our behalf and close those that need to be shut too.
7. God will work powerfully on
our behalf, but He often asks for our obedience first. God asked Moses to
do one thing. “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to
divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Ex. 14:16 Moses was asked to obey God's
voice. And with staff raised and hand outstretched, God's Mighty Power
unleashed. That sea not only divided, but the people walked right through it on
“dry ground.” Not even a hint of sinking sand. As God’s children, we aren’t
destined to walk in mud and mire. He dries
up the path before us so we’re heading out on firm ground. He is our sure
foundation. Our obedience to His voice will always lead to blessing.
8. God will stand between us and
the enemy. We never fight alone. He will send his angels to fight for us
and guard us. He Himself will fight for us and guard us. That’s how much He
loves us and desires to set His protection over us. “Then the angel of
God…withdrew and went behind them. The
pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them…”Ex. 14:19 He will hem us in from all sides and keep us
under His care. It doens't mean we won't ever face the battle, but we can know
that He is surely with us in the midst of it.
9. Our God is a God of miracles.
This same God who divided the Red Sea so the Israelites crossed on dry ground,
and covered up the enemy in the depths of that same sea, bringing salvation to
His people—this is the same God who works on our behalf today. He is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. “And when the Israelites saw the great power the
Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their
trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Ex. 14:31
We may be facing our own Red Sea
moment this week. Maybe the enemy seems hot on our trail, lurking close, whispering
lies and defeat, trying his best to trip us up. Maybe the obstacles that loom
before us seem way too hard to overcome. We want to turn back. We want to give
up. We find ourselves questioning God and doubting His care and love over us.
But it still doesn’t change this
one Truth. He’s with us. And He fights for us today. As believers who have made
the choice to put our faith and trust in Christ, we can stand on the assurance
that He will never leave us or forsake us.
He will lead us. He will bring honor to Himself through even the hardest
circumstances we face in this life. He
is strengthening us and guiding us continually.
His plans for our lives will
never be thwarted by the enemy’s attacks. Though it may seem like he’s winning
at times, he does not have full control. God’s still greater.
And sometimes when we’ve done all
we know to do, he whispers these words down deep into our soul, “…you need only
to be still.”
For the Lord fights for you.
Peace.
Debbie McDaniel is a writer, pastor's
wife, mom to three amazing kids (and a lot of pets). Join her each morning on
Fresh Day Ahead's facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DebbieWebbMcDaniel,
for daily encouragement in living strong, free, hope-filled lives.
Find her also at http://twitter.com/debbmcdaniel.
