By Ife J. Ibitayo
For Part 1 on “Hope or Hopelessness”, click here.
After years of slavery, months of miracles, and a tragic night of death (Exodus 12:29), the Israelites were finally freed. Pharaoh drove the Israelites out of his land. The LORD then navigated them into a box with the desert beside them and the Red Sea in front of them. Then He roused Pharaoh to pursue the runaways with the most fearsome technology of his day: the battle chariot.
With an unpassable liquid wall before them and an awesome army behind them, the Israelites cried to Moses, “‘Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, “Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness”’” (Exodus 14:12 NLT)!
Some of us feel similarly boxed in today: We moved for a job that vanished when the economy cratered, another baby is on the way when we don’t know how we’ll keep feeding our first. Our strength and sanity have reached their snapping points. Many of us may be where are we now in spite of being faithful to God or because we felt like we were acting in accord with His will. But now we’ve come to our own Red Sea with the enemy closing in on us by the minute, and we wonder if those surging waves will become our watery grave.
How We Got Here
Famous gospel singer Marvin Sapp once said, “The only reason why you’re in that position now is because God has ordered your steps.” Here Sapp emphasizes the sovereignty of God. We are not caught between a rock and a hard place because God fell asleep at the wheel. We’re here because He deliberately drove us here.
Why We Are Here
The question then becomes, “Why are we here?” God told the Israelites, “‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again…When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord’” (Exodus, 14:13,18 NIV).
The LORD is glorious and awesome in power, working miracles and wonders for His people. But when life maintains its ho-hum rhythm of ease and predictability, these truths tend to escape our grasp. Sometimes the only spark that can rekindle this flame is difficulty.
Where We Go From Here
The LORD then told Moses, “‘Tell the people of Israel to go forward’” (Exodus 14:15 ESV). Keep in mind, God gave the Israelites this command before He parted the Red Sea. As they trudged ever closer to those murky waters, many must have foreseen a sodden, bloody end for themselves. But as we all know, the LORD led the Israelites through the Red Sea, and the LORD defeated the Egyptian army. The only part the Israelites had to play was not turning aside or turning back. They had to keep on moving forward.
Conclusion
After six months of isolation, most of us are not where we’d like to be: socially, emotionally, and financially. As we wait for the LORD to part our Red Sea and slay our enemy, we can lambast Him for bringing us here. Or we can trust that He will successfully lead us to the other side.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
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