Scripture is full of impossible circumstances that God made a way through.
One of the most well-known examples is the Moses and the Red Sea crossing in Exodus 14. But before we get there, let's talk about Moses' story specifically.
Honestly, Moses' entire life was a miracle.
Moses was born into slavery in Egypt, and before his life had barely begun, it was already under threat.
As the Israelites grew in number, the Egyptians became afraid of them. Pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew male children two years old and younger be thrown into the Nile River. But Moses' mother refused to let him die. Instead, she built a basket, coated it with pitch so it would float, and placed him in the river.
What happened next could only have been orchestrated by God.
Moses was found by Pharaoh's own daughter and raised in the palace as her son...an Egyptian.
As Moses grew older, he began to notice the harsh treatment of the Hebrew slaves. One day, after witnessing an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew man, Moses was overcome with anger and killed the Egyptian.
Assuming no one had seen what happened, Moses tried to move on. But when he was confronted about it, he realized his own life was now in danger.
So he fled into the wilderness.
I imagine Moses expected to spend the rest of his life there, living quietly as a shepherd and staying as far away from Egypt as possible.
By this point, Moses had likely settled into a rhythm of consistency. Egypt was behind him. The wilderness was familiar. Life was predictable.
Then one day, everything changed.
A bush caught fire, but it wasn't being consumed. From that burning bush came the voice of God, calling Moses back to the very place he had run from.
Not only was God sending him back, but He was calling him to be the deliverer of His people.
Moses immediately began offering excuses. He questioned himself. He questioned God. He tried everything he could think of to avoid the assignment.
But eventually, he went.
After a series of confrontations with Pharaoh and ten miraculous plagues sent by God upon Egypt, Pharaoh finally released the Israelites.
Now Moses finds himself leading God's people toward the Red Sea.
The ocean.
No way around it. No way over it. No way under it.
And behind them? Pharaoh's army is charging forward with horses and chariots.
This has become a life-or-death situation.
The Israelites are trapped between an army and a sea.
But Moses knew the Lord would deliver them.
In faith, he told 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."
— Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV)
The Israelites were terrified. They cried out to Moses and even suggested it would have been better to remain slaves in Egypt.
Which sounds crazy to me.
But then again, maybe not.
I can imagine them operating purely in survival mode. They felt trapped. Afraid. Completely stuck.
There was nowhere to go except forward.
And that's exactly what God told Moses.
"Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward."
— Exodus 14:15 (ESV)
I know there have been countless times in my own life when I've felt stuck.
When really, the answer was simply to keep moving forward.
I often feel like I need to know exactly where my foot is going to land before I take the step.
Will something catch me?
Will it hold me?
Is this the right choice?
Am I making a mistake?
TIME OUT.
I freeze.
Then my gaze drifts backward to where I came from.
And suddenly, what was once bondage starts looking safer than what lies ahead.
Slavery feels better than drowning.
Surrendering to what's familiar feels easier than trusting God for something impossible.
I look at the sea in front of me and think:
There's no way.
I don't have a boat.
I can't swim against the current.
This is impossible.
What amazes me most about this story is that the Israelites knew God had called them out of Egypt.
They had seen the plagues.
They had witnessed God's power.
They heard the cries throughout Egypt after the death of the firstborn sons.
And yet they still doubted.
They were still stubborn.
And so am I.
I've seen what God can do. I've experienced His deliverance. I've watched Him make a way where there wasn't one.
Yet I still find myself questioning Him when another Red Sea appears.
Now I'm faced with a choice:
Do I go back to my chains?
Or do I go forward?
"But the sea...it's deep, it's big, and heaven knows what's lurking beneath the surface of the water..."
Maybe that's what you're saying today.
Moses responded with a single act of faith.
"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided."
— Exodus 14:21 (ESV)
Notice something important.
God worked all night.
The Israelites walked through the sea in darkness.
The walls of water were probably roaring so loudly they could barely hear each other.
And yet they had to keep moving.
Even in the dark.
Even during the night season.
There have been many night seasons in my walk with the Lord.
But the one thing He has consistently told me is this:
Keep moving.
If I had stayed paralyzed with fear, I would have overthought myself right back into Egypt.
If I hadn't moved forward, the enemy would have overtaken me in my stagnation.
The future in front of me was uncertain and still the Lord said "Go."
Every step I took landed on solid ground. Every time I felt my faith slipping, dry ground caught my feet. Every time I shouted at God in anger, He kept leading me.
I think that's important.
"And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left."
— Exodus 14:22 (ESV)
Not muddy ground.
Not sinking ground.
Dry ground.
When I walk with the Lord, He establishes my footing.
The ground beneath me becomes steady.
The only way I fail is if I choose to turn around or stop walking altogether.
God didn't allow the Israelites to get stuck in the mud.
He made a clear, dry path through the sea.
And yes, He is still making a way for you today.
So what is your Red Sea?
What is your Egypt?
Where are you caught in between?
I want to encourage you:
Go forward.
Dry ground is waiting with every footfall.
The Lord is ready to drown the things that are trying to destroy you and keep you from walking in the purpose and destiny He has prepared for you.
Maybe you're saying:
"This wasn't the plan. This Red Sea was never supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Proverbs 16:9 offers both comfort and conviction:
"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
— Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
For someone like me, who wants to know the entire plan from beginning to end, that verse can be difficult to accept.
But as it pierces my heart, it also cuts through the false sense of control I think I have over my life.
God establishes my steps.
My responsibility is simple:
- Trust Him.
- Go forward.
Morning is coming.
Soon you will see the salvation of the Lord in full view.
The thing that was trying to destroy you will be gone.
The sea will be behind you.
And the Promised Land will be waiting just ahead.
Written by Rebecca Holman
The ComeOnLetsGo Team
