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Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:21-22, NIV).
A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.
Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”
The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholars have shown that the Red Sea in that area was only ten inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.
The boy was stumped.
His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap.
The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. He had taken only two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in ten inches of water!”
Don’t you love it?
The Old Testament book of Exodus shows, over and over again, that nothing is impossible with God. Nothing! Moses was an ordinary man who was chosen by God to do an extraordinary task. On the far side of the desert in Midian, high on the mountain of God, Moses met the LORD face to flame. God appeared to Moses “in flames of fire from within a bush.”
I would imagine that Moses was probably dirty, sweaty, and stinky from shepherding as he stood on holy ground before the LORD. I’m sure he was keenly aware of his filth and stench, both physically and spiritually. As he slipped off his shoes, I imagine he hid his face in fear. Moses admitted that he didn’t feel adequate for the assignment that he had been given.
He wasn’t confident in his abilities to get the job done.
In fact, he even pleaded with God to send someone else! Moses said to God in Exodus 4:10, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
But God had a plan and Moses was His man.
Through ten plagues and many signs and wonders, God flexed his muscles through Moses. Once Pharaoh had finally let God’s people go, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. No compass was necessary. God led His people through the desert with a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night. It must have been an amazing sight. It must have been thrilling…up until the point where Pharaoh’s army was closing in on them as they approached the Red Sea.
Talk about being faced with a seemingly impossible situation!
Moses and around two million of his closest Hebrew friends stood at the edge of the water with nowhere to go. They were trapped. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD (Exodus 14:10). But God was on time for the miracle show. He had a plan. He made a way.
Nothing is too difficult for God.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14).
God purposed this extravagant rescue for His glory.
The Lord will fight for you.
When God is on our side, fighting for us, we can certainly be assured of victory. Even if it doesn’t look like we expect it to look.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:21-22).
The Israelites were saved, and Pharaoh’s army was destroyed – all under the watchful eyes of the LORD. God wanted to be glorified through a seemingly impossible situation. He wants to be glorified through the difficult situations that you face, too.
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
When we stand with Christ, we stand with power.
What Red Sea are you facing?
Nothing is impossible with God.
When you set aside your doubts and call on the name of the LORD, you can face the waters of your circumstances with a strong confidence, knowing that God is able and willing to do great things in and through you. Continue to follow the leading of the One who led with pillars of clouds and of fire. He is faithful and you can trust Him.
Dear God, Like Moses, I often feel unequipped to handle the assignments You have given me. You know exactly what I face today. Please help me to not give in to the fears, frustrations, and doubts that mock me. You are far more powerful than the circumstances of my life. Thank you for reminding me that nothing is too difficult for you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
FOR YOUR REFLECTION and RESPONSE
Grab some paper or your journal and list some “pillars of fire and pillars of clouds” God has placed in your life to give you direction on your journey.
What is God asking you to trust Him in or through? Spend a few moments in prayer over this. Then click over to my blog so we can take the conversation deeper. Leave a comment about what God is calling you to trust Him with today.
After you comment, pause to pray for and encourage each other.
Be the body. Be the beauty.
I love doing life with you!!
GWEN
Comments 19
Living our faith no matter the cost can be rewarding but very exasperating on spirit, mind and heart and body. I have lupus that is progressing and nothing medical medicine can do to help me especially when it costs money, I don’t have. This is where my only hope is found in God’s word, His promises and most of all trusting in Him. I become very reliant on His mighty comfort, healing power. My biggest hurdle is deep emotoinal pain that flares up when I have to deal with judgemental, controlling, overconcerned, uncompassionate people who are supposed to be there for you but its conditional to extreme. Thank you, Jesus for showing me how human we are and how you overcome all when I am unable to take another step. Relationships are sacred its just in our world that doesn’t mean much anymore. Psalm 103 is where I am. Amen
I’ve been suffering from clinical depression for over 2 years. Due to that my world is getting smaller and smaller every day. GOD is bigger than depression!
Please pray for me,my husband lost his job it has not been easy with 4 kids sometimes I feel like I can’t go on, it’s been his grace keeping me.I need more of his grace. Thanks.
I’m so lost right now and can’t find my way. I’ve made a few poor choices that has left me without a job. Please pray for me. I feel despair so deeply.
Author
Lord, I thank You for being a God of grace and restoration. Please meet Kim in her despair and disappointment. Lift her head. Hear her cry. Set her feet on the rock of Jesus and give her a new song in her heart as You did for David in Psalm 40. Please guide her as she seeks employment and teach her to trust You in ways that bring You glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
My struggle with being overweight is real and affects so many other parts of my life! Praise God, I am seeing some weight lose in the past several weeks but not nearly enough. The sad thing is I’ve not praised my precious Lord enough for the success I have recently had! This devotional called my failure to praise Him and trust Him to my attention big time! Thanks for your ministry!
I’ve prayed for each of the people and situations in these comments, and I ask for your prayers. I don’t know what this verse means for me. I don’t know what God wants me to do. My husband left me just over a year ago and I have been praying for God to heal us and restore my marriage. Sometimes I think I should not want that, but that thought doesn’t stay around long. I love my husband and I made a commitment to him and God. I don’t know what being still means in this situation. We talk daily, we have been basically together except for living arrangements, and he won’t come home. Of course there’s more to the story, but my dilemma is that I don’t know how to be still in this. Does that mean talking to him or not talking to him? I’m so confused and I’ve been praying about it but I don’t know what to do.
I needed this devotion so much this morning. My daughter’s father-in-law took his own life Sunday morning. We are all in shock and so saddened. Nobody saw this coming, and there are so many unanswered questions. I am asking for prayer for this hurting family — especially his wife and sons and their families. He left behind four precious grandchildren who loved him. The older two (18 and 14) know what happened; the younger two (6 and 7) only know that he passed away. Please join me in lifting this family up to our Heavenly Father as they go through this very difficult week;; the funeral is Friday. Also, please pray for my daughter, who he asked to speak at his funeral and my 14 yr old granddaughter who he asked to sing. God bless you, Gwen, for your ministry.
I think God is asking me to put all my trust in Him. And He is telling me to stand strong & to not be afraid of the enemies I am facing. He is with me and He will guide me through this stage in my life. He is stronger than anything that I am up against in this life. Praise the Lord!
I too believe God is calling me to completely trust him to be my Jehovah Jireh. I’m sort of a controlling person and feel like I can do it better. But I know when it comes to the things of God I have to let go of my control because I’m really not in control of anything,I need to give everything to Him and allow Him to order my steps
I feel my husband and I are at the sea’s edge. We’re waiting for God to open up a job opportunity for my husband. It’s been nearly 10 months and at times it’s scary. I just have to keep faith. I have to keep reminding myself that we are one day closer to getting that job and we are ok today. Thank you for your wonderful ministry.
That God will show me what he wants me to do in my upcoming retirement. He will help me deal with the infection in my leg.
God is asking me to trust Him with the unclear path that I am on. He’s leading me through baby steps and refining fires in order to prep for the second phase of my life which I feel is leading through motivation and insightful writing. Please pray for me that I do not miss his direction!
I am on a journey that I really don’t want to be on. 8 weeks ago I was called by my GYN and told I have urtrine Cancer. What a shock that call was, even though in my heart I knew it was a strong possibility. I had surgery and the Doc said he got it al. Praise God. Even though there were good results from the surgery I have to have Chemo and radiation because it was a high grade of cancer that is aggressive. I have learned to count my blessings, because on this path with me I can hide myself in Him. I have an army of prayer warriors and nurse angles that care for me. I am being called to be brave & courageous. Chemo is scary. But nothing is impossible with God.
Praying for you….
Thank you for your words of wisdom…I was so lost yesterday in my sorrowful situation I couldn’t see my way. But with these words…I know I have a way, a path, a light I must follow to keep me strong. Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, my Saviour…I love you
He is calling me to be brave, be bold, stay true to matters of my heart and endure with persistence and patience even when I’m weak, when I feel tired physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually He wants us to and has made a curious one and one that learns best if to see or better yet live and test all, not to be a know it all or as if to disprove, but as for a thirst of the mechanics of learning and the desire to learn and know all there is to know about subjects in find fascinating.
God is Great and who can be against me when He is with me, the only One to suffer, endure, and yet life a perfect humble life and in setting the example He asked all of us to do, Love He with our most high, ourselves and thy neighbor equal to our Love for Him and even as such for our enemies. God is Love and the only one to overcome the whole world. Therefore I am love and I believe I can and I will overcome the things need be forth in the life I am destined to live.
He is calling me to stand for my marriage.
My relationship with Jerome