EXODUS 14:10-14 – When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
THEME OF THE DAY. ON THE SHORES OF THE RED SEA. Christian, you are going to come to “The Shore of the Red Sea” in your life many times over. Probably not literally, but spiritually for sure. You are going to find yourself right where the Israelites did in today’s scripture. They fled Egypt looking to the promised land. In the journey, Pharaoh had a change of heart. Worn down by the plagues, he let God’s people go, but his hardness of heart made a second change of heart. He is after them and not happy. Looking to the west, the Israelites saw the dust of horses and chariots coming closer and closer. Pharaoh and his army were not coming to negotiate the return of their slaves. No, this was terrifying with no escape to the west for the Israelites. But neither to the east was a way out. Before them was not a wading pool to cross, but the Red Sea. They were trapped. No human way out. And they were exactly where God wanted and placed them – at the end of their rope within themselves.
God in His love and commitment to us ensures we come to the shores of our “Red Seas” numerous times in life for at least two purposes. First, to convince us we are not in control of our lives and circumstances. This is a huge lesson Christians must learn. Part of our fall in the Garden of Eden was the desire for control. Granted, it is stronger in some people than others, but present in all. The spirit of sinful independence is not removed when one becomes a Christian and an independent spirit is a “want to be in control” spirit. So, God gets our attention by placing us in “unchangeable” and “uncontrollable” situations so we will realize and submit to the One who is really in charge and control.
Another lesson God teaches us when placed at the shore of our “Red Sea” is His faithfulness to help us. Pay attention to the instructions Moses gives these fearful people – And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” He doesn’t say, “Fret and worry.” Nor does he say, “Let’s try to find a way out of this mess.” No, he tells God’s people to wait on Him because He will be true to His Word to be your help and deliverer in trying times. And what God was to His people of old, He will be to us as well. Learn the lesson to wait on the Lord with a trusting heart, not a fretting heart.
Standing on the shore of the Red Sea. Spiritually, we will be there many times in life. Make sure we learn what God would teach us while there.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I fail to trust You in the seemingly ‘impossible situations’ in my life.”
QUOTE: “God will place you in situations you cannot change or control to teach you total reliance upon Him.”