God is going to make a way through
Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalm 77:19-20
God will use who and what He wants, to get you to where He wants you to be. What you’re going through can grow us, equips us, and draws us closer to Him.
I want to concentrate on the NIV version of verse 19. It says:
Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.
My aunt recently reminded me as I was fearing facing something that I did not want to face, that sometimes we have to face things we don’t want to, but that God would be with us. Sometimes we have to get past something in order to move to the next step and that requires us going through it. Life is full of challenges and when we get through one thing, there will always be another thing somewhere up the road. Sometimes God brings us around them. Sometimes He protects us from them. But lots of times He brings us THROUGH them. He is faithful to see us through…
She reminded me of the times that she had to go through some things that she did not want to, but also reminded me of God's faithfulness. She is living proof that on the other side of hard things, God’s hand was there all along. Like the scripture says: “though Your footprints were not seen.”
God often works in secret and just because the evidence of Him being there seems to be invisible to us, does not mean that He wasn’t there. He’s already crossed over and though the water covered and erased His tracks, we will see the evidence on the other side. God went before them. The water was also already covered back up by the time the Israelites foot prints could be seen. It was the same that was parted for them, that also coveted their enemies. God is working behind the scenes and He does go before us too. The Israelites saw proof as they crossed over on dry land.
My aunt gave me a verse that brought me much needed comfort as it must have been a verse that she kept her close to her while she was going through what she went through what she went through. She’s here to testify of that which God was faithful to provide.
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:1-2
No one wants to walk through scary things or face hard times. But, we can be sure that He is with us. We are His. He created us and said that He has a good plan and purpose for each one of our lives. He already had this good plan for us from the beginning and nothing that we are walking through is a surprise to Him. That’s why He says that He works it all out (good and bad) for the good. He is not only with us, but He is faithful to see us through. We will see the goodness of the Lord when we trust in Him.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
The enemy wants us to give up but like David, we must believe that we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living so that we will not faint.
Go is with us in the fire and through each and every fiery trial. When we pass through the waters, we can guarantee that He’s right there with us and through the rivers that they won’t overtake us, even though it feels like we may drown. We can’t always see it and a way out while we’re in it, but we will see it on the other side.
It’s amazing how a verse can bring so much comfort and has so much power as it speaks to you. The Word of God is alive. It’s important to know and speak His promises over you.
Fact: God didn’t lead the Israelites by an easy way. There was a sea that separated them from where they were and where He wanted them to be. So on the way to where they were going, He took them through a very scary seemingly impossible way. God doesn’t always show us the way but He always goes before us. If they had known that they’d be going through the Red Sea like this with their enemies pursuing, they may have never left in the first place. God doesn’t show us everything or we wouldn’t do anything! Think about that. They left in fear and a hurry. They were in flight and there was a point where they would pause.
Pharaoh had already let the people go as God had commanded (after many plagues and attempts) but then he quickly realized that all his slave laborers were gone and he just as quickly changed his mind about letting them go. He wanted them back, so they went after them. None of this was a surprise to God. He had a plan for their surprise attack and He always has a plan for what’s next. That’s why it’s important that we follow Him and keep our eyes on Him, or else we will dart in fear and quickly get off track. We must use faith over fear, or fear will get the best of us. If we succumb to fear then we don’t use our faith and we will get off course or stay stuck.
At this point the Israelites were TERRIFIED. Ever been there? Don’t know which way to turn, don’t know what to do as every which way you turn something else seem to pursue?? Now they were starting to not only doubt God but all they could see was fear, and they thought that Moses had just led them out there to die. They thought it was a cruel joke basically. This would be the beginning of a long tireless journey of doubt and fear. That’s where fear will cause you to freeze if you’re not careful, but faith will take you into places that you’ve never been or imagined going. But, so will fear. So we must choose. Stay in fear or go in faith?
Exodus 14
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
In other words, they needed this word or they were about to scatter. Think about what exodus means; to leave! The Exodus was the Israelites departing out of where they did not belong in order to go to the land that God had prepared and promised them. God allowed them to be in slavery for sometime but now had a plan of escape.
God has many promises for us but too often we doubt and live in mediocrity and fear. Simply because it’s more comfortable than moving out of our not so comfort zone. That’s conformity and complacency and we won’t find the promises of God there. It is possible to get comfortable in one’s own misery. I can attest to that but in this not so safe zone, greatness- purpose - and meaning are never found there.
God never called us to easy or comfortability. Who grows in an atmosphere where there is no challenge? There is no change there. There’s only stagnancy. Although the Israelites were slaves to man, instead of trusting God, they liked knowing what was going to happen to them. Trust requires unanswered questions. They had 3 hots and a cot every single day. They were slaves but they at least they knew what to expect, and so they became comfortable in their misery. God wanted then out of there, but, it would required them to rise and move.
Later on God would supply for them in their wilderness journey, even though they wouldn’t trust Him. He would lead them with a cloud by day, fire by night, give them fresh manna everyday, quail from the sky and their clothes would never wear out after all those years… I feel like I’m talking to someone. I know I’m talking to me!! The greatest challenges can also become the greatest victories. A victory doesn’t come without a battle first! We can never take new ground until we are willing to face the challenges that come with gaining new territory.
It can be this way in good times too. We want to stay where we’re at but God wants to stretch us so we’ll grow. He knows if we can’t grow where were at so He calls us out of comfortability. He’s not teasing us. He loves us too much for us to conform and stay the way we are when there’s so much more out there! We’re always evolving and changing or we’re not.
Like a song says that my mom uses to sing, “God on the mountain”. It says:
Life is easy, when you're up on the mountain,
And you’ve got peace of mind
Like you’ve never known.
But then things change and you're down in the valley;
Don’t lose faith for you're never alone.
For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right.
And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times;
The God of the day is still God in the night
We talk of faith when we're up on the mountain,
But talk comes easy
When life’s at its best.
But it's down in the valley of trials and temptations,
That’s where faith is really put to the test.
We can and should take hope in that as we hold His hand and stay close to Him. We must heed and follow His instructions. The worst thing that we can do when a parent instructs us not to move during in a panicked time is to run. Don’t run, LISTEN. They had to move out but then Moses had to remind them to stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord. He was telling them to calm down and don’t go back. They’d have to trust God in order to move forward.
I’ve grown to love Psalm 23 so much. I always thought of it as a funeral verse and even though it is a great comfort during those times, its also so much more. It’s so relevant to the trials that we face. As the Psalmist was walking through a deep dark time, I put myself in his shoes. He was going through a dark time but he was determined that he was gonna get through it. He said “YAY THOUGH”, or as we would say, “even though I’m walking through the valley of what feels like the shadow of death”, he knew that he was going through a hard time and wasn’t in denial. He acknowledged that God was with Him and that’s why He was going to keep walking through it. That’s the very reason why he wasn’t going to fear all the what if’s. He had a very present God by His side. So do we. He wasn’t going to stop and he talked about all of the ways that God would bless, supply and be with him through it all. This is the same God that is for and with you and me!
The angel of God was with the Israelites and He gives His angels charge over you and me. Read Exodus 14!
Just as well as God parted the sea so that His people could cross over on dry land, He also covered the dry land back over with water right on top of the enemy. We must stop seeing the seas as a blocks and start seeing them as our crosswalks. God is the God of impossibilities. We’re right, this looks impossible and with men, it is impossible. But not for God! What’s impossible with man is possible with God. We can’t do it alone but we do not walk alone. He uses it to not only to confound but to destroy the enemy before the enemy tries to destroys you. He’s got a plan. He knows what He’s doing. Just follow through…
Exodus 14
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
This is where they paused standing in the face of fear. This is where it was time to move again after He had told them to calm down. They were probably thinking, “Should we go back since they pursue us? What do we do??” Yes, we should cry out to God and there is a time for that but then there’s also a time to MOVE before fear gets the best of you.
F.E.A.R can be to Face Everything And Rise OR, Forget Everything And Run?!?? We always have a choice. That’s why reason is warned against. Reasoning doesn’t require or use faith. It waits for and until all the conditions are just right and faith is no longer needed.
The Word of God says this:
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6
We must believe for what we cannot YET see. 🔑 We must see it and believe it by faith. Faith is not the absence of fear but quiet the opposite. Faith faces and overrides the fear that would try to block us and keep us back from our blessings. It wants to keep us right there in that fearful state, paralyzing us from moving forward. Keeping us in our lack that is keeping us back from our breakthrough. God wants us to have faith and use it to go into our promises that He does have in store for each and every one of us. He will give us the cue but we must move our feet.
We must have the faith of a little child to trust the Father or else we won’t follow. This determines whether or not we do or do not enter into the promises of God.
God knew that the Israelites would be scared but He also knew that if He didn’t challenge them to face their fears that they’d always be stuck in them and so they’d never see the promise that He had set before them.
He can be trusted. He can and He will make a way through…
He had been working it out all along… He used Moses and Aaron. This was no mistake. If you remember back to the basket in the river, God spared Moses' life and let him be found by the rulers sister, at the palace. This was done in order that Moses could grow up in the palace with the Egyptians, all along while allowing his own mother to nurse and nourish him. God knew! God knew that later Moses would help to set His people free! This was the Divine hand of God that not only set up Moses but helped His mother through it all too.
God knows what He is doing and even though it doesn’t all make sense to us now - while it feels as if we’re looking at it all like a big broken-apart puzzle with all it’s scattered pieces. He knows. He holds the pieces and will put them back in place. He knows exactly what and who goes where. We must take Him at His word and trust Him. He did promise to work all things out for our good IF WE love Him and are called according to His purposes. He loves us and is calling us out! Will we follow?
Whom shall we fear if God is on our side? Not even the biggest army can overtake God. Even the waves and the winds obey Him. We see in Psalm 77:16, that when the waters saw Him, they were afraid. Think about it. He parted the waters. He commanded the winds to stop the night on the boat when the disciples were in desperate fear for their lives. No doubt He allowed this storm to show them Who was in control. Even when we think God is asleep and not listening to us just like the disciples did Jesus, we can be sure that - He is aware! He’s teaching us to trust Him. He loves us. He led the people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea just like a flock of sheep. Sheep need a shepherd or they’ll scatter and God used Moses to lead them out but ultimately it was His hand guiding.
God will lead you and He will be your guide. Sometimes He will use others to help guide you. No matter what season of life we’re in or at what point we’re at, may we learn in this moment and in this season to trust Him. Not to look back, for yesterday is gone and not try to get too far ahead for what might or might not be. He’s guiding us and with us EACH and EVERY STEP of the way. It’s one step and one day at a time. We must focus on now and Him. That’s why we are told to stay in today and worry about today, and not tomorrow! For God's grace gives us what we need for each moment. It’s sufficient but only for now, not later. We should ask for todays bread each day, not tomorrows. For todays was never supposed to be any good for tomorrow. That’s why His grace is sufficient and enough for today. May we not lag behind and may we not run ahead! Ask Him to lead and then follow His Spirit in order to stay in His presence.
We are commanded to fear not! It’s not an option for followers, it’s a command. As Joshua would later again lead the Israelites over another challenge and body of water, God was with Him just as He was with Moses, and this is what He instructed him to do:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6
That is a promise that He will keep. He will never leave us or forsake us, so we must not leave or turn our hearts away from Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
This begins with a resolution to trust in Him.
Dear Lord my God,
I come to You with empty hands lifted high and an abandoned heart sold out to You. I admit that I have been so full of fear and trying to control it all. I confess also that I can’t! I’m making a mess of my life and it all. Lord, please light the way for me. I desperately need You. I need Your presence, I need Your hand, I need Your guidance. Thank You for being faithful to me and seeing me through. God I look to You. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Song of the day: “God I look to You” by Jenn Johnson.
