We all go through those times in life where we’re just not sure what’s going on. We just can’t seem to figure out what God is doing as we trudge through those difficulties. I can’t possibly know what situation might come to mind for you, but I do know that I’m not the only one who has been there a time or two, and it’s an uneasy feeling. Whether it’s a career issue, a sickness, a difficult relationship, or anything else, life’s difficult situations make it so hard to see God at work despite our prayers and faith in Him. It’s easy to feel stuck, or worse – forgotten. We turn into spiritual backseat drivers, questioning if He knows where He’s going and offering to take driving duties for a few miles. As it grows harder to trust Him and see where He’s hearing our prayers and opening the doors we need, the temptation grows stronger to just take things into our own hands.
But as hopeless as our lives may seem from time to time, we rarely go through anything that compares to some of the situations in which God’s people found themselves in the Scriptures. One particularly strong example comes in the first few verses of Exodus 14, where God intentionally tells Moses to basically miss their exit – to go the wrong way instead of making a beeline to get out of Egypt. Why? So Pharaoh would find out that they were wandering and would decide to bring them back. As they saw Pharaoh approaching, it starts to make more sense as to why the people of Israel said they had been brought out to die. The way it looked to them, God had abandoned them and Moses didn’t know what he was doing.
Here’s what we forget – God didn’t just use that confusing, seemingly hopeless situation to defeat Pharaoh and show His own glory – He created that confusing, seemingly hopeless situation. He led them straight into that dead end backdrop of the Red Sea to set up one of the most stunning events in human history. Why? 14:4 tells us that it was so that He would be glorified and honored. Because He did everything the way that He did, Israel and everyone else would know that it was by His power that they were saved. For their part, He removed the threat of Pharaoh bringing them back and put a fear into their opponents that was still present 40 years later when they prepared to take Jericho (Joshua 2:8-11).
As for our lives, God often works the same way. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering just where He is and what He’s doing. We ask ourselves, “Why aren’t my prayers being answered?” Like Israel, sometimes He has to lead us into places and situations where only He can lead us out. Unlike Israel, though, we should know better than to complain. They had seen Him carry out the plagues. They knew His power firsthand… and yet they still doubted and complained (14:10-12). They were history’s most infamous backseat drivers, questioning Him at every turn. That’s precisely the moment at which Moses offered the biblical equivalent of “Oh yeah? Watch this.”
“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (14:13-14). God parted an entire sea from shore to shore and let His people walk through on dry ground to save them from certain death.
We haven’t seen God part the Red Sea or turn water into blood, but we have seen Him cleanse us from the stain of our sins. We know He can do the impossible. What we have to do is just keep praying, keep focusing on growing in His Word, keep doing His will, and keep strengthening our bond with our fellow Christians. He’ll come through for you in a way that will leave no doubt that He had a plan and that He was developing it all along. “He will fight for you while you keep silent.” We can take comfort in something the Israelites didn’t realize – God’s glory shines brightest when we are in situations that we could never hope to figure out on our own.
In whatever difficulties we face, we have to realize two things: God is in control, and He has a purpose. When we complain, we show that we don’t trust Him. When we try to take control and make our own path apart from His will, we rob Him of the opportunity to work His perfect plan in our lives. But if we respond in faith and simply praise Him and rejoice in our trials, He carries out that plan and our lives reflect His glory to all who see.
By Jack Wilkie
