God Provides a Way Through

Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! (Exodus 14:21–22, ESV)

The Israelites were free. Moses had led them out of Egypt, away from the bondage of slavery. But Pharaoh and his army were in pursuit, determined to capture the Israelites and bring them back to Egypt. While the Israelites were fleeing on foot, Pharaoh and his men were on horseback and gaining ground quickly. And, as the Egyptians overtook them, the people of Israel found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Pharaoh and his men were behind them and in front of them was a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the Red Sea. The people of Israel were faced with a situation from which they saw no way out.

In our lives, we may face situations from which we can see no way out, obstacles that seem insurmountable. They might be unexpected bills that we don’t have the funds to pay. Or they might be serious illnesses. They could be life-controlling addictions. When the people of Israel found themselves faced with the waters of the Red Sea and the possibility of being captured by Pharaoh and brought back into slavery, or worse yet, killed in the wilderness, they abandoned hope and panicked, saying that it would have been better for them to have remained as slaves in Egypt (Exodus 14:10-12). They saw no way out of the situation they were in.

But Moses had faith in God, who had gotten them this far. Moses knew that God would help them through this situation. Moses told the people to remain calm and wait on the Lord to pull them through. Then, with staff in hand as God had instructed, Moses raised his hand over the sea. As a result of this act of faith on the part of Moses, the waters of the Red Sea parted and the people of Israel passed through it on dry land (Exodus 14:21-22). When their pursuers followed them, God closed up the sea, and all of Pharaoh’s men were covered by the waters. God had provided the way through for His people (Exodus 14:26-28).

When we face difficult situations that seem impossible to overcome, we need to have faith like Moses, believing that God will provide a way through, just as He provided a way through the Red Sea for the people of Israel. In those situations, we must remember these words of Jesus, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” (Mark 11:22–23)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.