The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Exodus 14:14
One of my new hobbies is working on puzzles. I am not great at them, but they are challenging and fun for me to complete. I recently decided to introduce my five-year-old nephew Owen to a puzzle, and it was going well for a while. We worked so hard and made it very far until Owen decided he was done with this puzzle and completely broke it apart. I laughed at the sight of an almost-finished puzzle being torn to bits by the rage of a toddler. We had come so far, yet now we would have to start over if we wanted to complete the puzzle.
Sometimes life feels like this, doesn’t it? We make so much progress in certain areas of our lives, and then we reach what feels like a dead end. Suddenly we have to forget everything we thought we knew and start over. So, the question is, what do we do during the times when we reach a dead-end, and it looks as if our plans, hopes, or dreams fall on the ground right in front of us? Moses knew that feeling well.
Yesterday in our study, we talked about the moment Pharaoh finally let the Israelite people free from slavery in Egypt. The moment the Israelites finally made their mass exodus out of Egypt in Exodus 12 and 13 was a moment of celebration. It was a reminder of God’s care and provision for them. Suddenly, on their journey to the land God promised for them, things went sideways. Pharaoh changed his mind, and he and his army went after them. They caught up with the Israelites, and things looked grim for the people of Israel, who were camped by the Red Sea. Because of the Red Sea, they were essentially camping between the sea and Pharaoh’s army. They were truly at a dead end. Of course, the Israelites panicked to Moses, questioning how he could have brought them so far only to be killed by the Egyptian army. Moses had an amazing response: “The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (verse 14). When things looked like they were falling apart, Moses was confident that God would bring them through.
Moses’ faith that God would fight for the Israelites when they were camped between the Red Sea and the Egyptians is a challenge for you and me today. When things feel hopeless, and when we are at a dead-end, we must remember that God fights for His people even today. My friend, God will fight for you, wherever you are and whatever you are facing. You can trust Him.
What situation in your life feels like you are at a dead end? Are you feeling frustrated because all of the progress in carrying out the dreams God has given you seems to have stopped, or even backtracked? When it feels like you have reached a dead end and you are wondering what God is doing, I assure you that He is working. Take some time now to reflect on how you have seen God work in your situation. Write down at least three ways, but keep writing if more ways come to mind after writing three! Thank God for each way you have seen Him working, even when it feels like you are at a dead end.
Exodus 14:1-14 (NLT)
Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.
When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 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!’ ”
But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
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