How do you respond to difficulty? Are you an optimist who always finds the good or a problem-solver who creates a handful of contingency plans?
Me? I’m like Israel. My response to difficulty is usually anxiety, discouragement, and doubt. I look at the “Red Seas” of my life and cry out. For example, I recently became a homeowner. Yay! Right? Yes. But also, the journey to the closing was rough. I’m talking about five different closing dates, a two-week stay at a friend’s becoming a three-month stint, and a week where it looked like it would all fall through and I would lose all my money. After one gut-wrenching phone call with my realtor, I remember sitting in my friend’s kitchen, with my head in my hands, wondering if I had made it all up.
I imagine Israel felt the same way, but ten thousand times over with the Egyptians behind them and a literal dead end in front of them. Even if they could swim, there was no way they could swim the length of the Red Sea. Though God had shown Himself to be all-powerful, this difficulty caused them to doubt God’s ability and character, asking, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11).
Growing up, I often heard the saints of my childhood church sing of a God who would never forsake His people. They would belt out in three-part harmony with conviction, “I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.” Today’s reading proves this lyric to be true. After miraculously executing the ten plagues, God didn’t lead Israel to the Red Sea to leave them. Instead, the Red Sea was purposed to be their deliverance and Egypt’s defeat. He asked them to abandon their fear and quietly watch Him fight for them.
As I sat in my friend’s kitchen, God asked the same of me. I wish I could say I responded with a resounding yes, but I honestly had no choice. My chips were in. All I could do was trust Him. I’m happy to report He did, but I’m even more delighted to say God fought for my heart to find deeper levels of trust in Him.
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43 thoughts on "Escape Through the Red Sea"
The room my sister in is also my room! And my study desk is facing the back door. I praise God He helped me leave the house earlier yesterday so I wasn’t home for any of it.
I haven’t done the study this morning yet. I’ve been too distracted my thoughts and needed to journal, first.
A story —
After the devotional yesterday, I felt so on fire for the Lord. I felt an extra boost of love and peace from Him. I left the house a bit earlier to go to the post office to send a gift to a friend. I was finishing up my workout at the gym when I read our family group messages that our house was almost broken into. A man has gone down our street trying to break into four of the homes.
By the time my mom figured it out, he was in police custody.
The crazy part. Our back door was open- he could have walked right in, if he checked it. Instead, he went for the window next to it and our shed which is attached to the lower corner part of the house.
“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and deliver them.” – Psalm 34:7 NKJV
My sister was downstairs sleeping — He could have walked the into her room. But he didn’t try the door. My mom was upstairs and woke up because the four dogs we have were barking so intensely. The police told my mom what happened, had k9 dogs here, and collected evidence.
We don’t know why that man was running, but the police say it’s a major incident.
We live in a very quiet part of a community here in the Poconos. I’ve been sitting out on our deck actually amazed at how peaceful it’s been this week. When we moved here, the realtor mentioned it’s common practice not to lock the door. We adopted that habit — since there are so many of us, our dogs, and the community is usually so peaceful. People come here to vacation. But, you never know.
Well, we lock our doors now. By God’s grace, we all are safe.
My prayer is that I don’t let fear into my heart because of this. They found the guy’s knife in my mom’s car. We locked our cars, now, too.
God is good.
KATHY – praying for you through the colonoscopy today.
Tina, I agree with Dana! You wrote everything I would have written too! Praise God.
I have spent the last few months searching for a job in a new town and God (who knew the whole time) has led me to one! I am so thankful! I am praying for all of the requests.
Yes the miracle of parting the sea must have been an amazing sight. But the miracle of moving all the people and animals in one evening is too.
This was Israel’s birth (listen to podcast for week one) and baptism.
KATHY – praying all goes well today and you will take every thought captive.
You took the words right out of my mouth Tina!! Praise God for His Love and Faithfulness!! AMEN ❤️
I have many life stories of God fighting for me and mine. He has been so so very faithful, even when my human eyes could see no way in or out. Or the end was in my sight.. the final curtain was closing in
BUT GOD..
He could see..
..Beyond ‘the red sea’ of the situation.
..A way through.
..A new beginning, and not an end.
..A hopefilled future, wrapped in His goodness, provision, love, grace, comfort, mercy, hope with a capital H.
I can honestly say, when those ‘red sea’ moments come, my initial reaction is arms in the air, panic and heart pounding so fast, it could light a generator! But then, gathering myself together, and remembering His goodness and faithfulness of the past to me, I pray. I write. I hold fast to Him, trusting 95% and holding the other 5%, (don’t know why), whilst telling myself He, God, has got me thus far, He WILL see me through, whatever that looks like..
He has.
He will.
He ALWAYS will!
AMEN.
Happy Thursday folks, wrapped so tightly in love and hugs and prayers from across the pond!❤