When Life Gets Crazy!

 Things are crazy in our world right now. Wouldn't you agree?

 I went to bed last night with a hundred questions and concerns rolling around in my mind. I woke up this morning thinking about several times in the Bible when wild things were happening and even though the people may have felt uneasy and alone, they weren't! 

The story that God highlighted in my mind is found in Exodus. The Isrealites had just been freed from a life of slavery. They were fleeing Eygpt after witnessing God fight for them through a series of plagues. Exodus 13:17-18 tells us that God led His people a specific way because He knew they would be tempted to give up if they went the shorter way. He led them in a longer, more difficult direction for their own good!

When the king of Eygpt found out that the Isrealites had fled and they had lost all the slaves to do their work, the pharoh ended up changing his mind and sent all of his chariots, horsemen, and troops to overtake the Isrealites. 

As the Isrealites watched the Eygptians inch closer to their camp, they freaked out. They even said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Eygpt that you brought us out here to the desert to die?"( Exodus 14:11a)

 They were terrified and hopeless.

Do you know what Moses told them? He said, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverence the Lord will bring to you today. The Eygptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still." Exodus 14:13-14

Exodus 14:14 has been my favorite verse for years. I know I've read it in this context many times but for some reason, today it means so much more! BEFORE God came through for the Isrealites (again), Moses tells them He will deliver them that very day! I'm sure they wanted to believe that but I bet it was hard. We have the luxury of reading the rest of the chapter and all that follows but the Isrealites didn't. They had no idea what God had in store. 

Then God's incredible plan unfolded. He told Moses to stop crying out to Him and tell His people to move! He explains to Moses that He will part the sea so they can walk through on dry ground. And do you know why He chose to do that? Exodus 14:17b-18 says, "I will gain glory through Pharoh and all his army, through the chariots, and his horsemen. The Eygptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

God was planning on showing them WHO they were messing with!

Then an angel of the Lord came between the Isrealites and the Eyptians as a cloud that divided the two groups troughout the night. This cloud caused darkness on one side and light on the other. While the Eyptians were in the dark, Moses stretched his arm over the sea and God held back the waves on either side. The Isrealites literally walked through the middle of the sea, on dry land. 

The Eyptians soon got a glimpse of what was happening and began pursuing the Isrealites again. They really thought they would be able to walk on dry land through the sea just as God's children had. They were terribly wrong. As they attempted to chase the Isrealites, God caused the wheels to fall off their chariots and they quickly realized God was fighting for the Isrealites. They tried to turn back but it was too late. God told Moses to stretch out his arm again and this time, God caused the water to go back in its place. The Eyptians were swept away in the sea. 

God had told the Isrealites earlier that day that they would never see again those Egyptias again. He told them He would fight for them and He did! God showed the Isrealites who HE was and He was glorified through the entire experience. Because of all of this, many put their hope and faith in God as well. 

There is a lot happening in this world today. Whether it be a broken relationship, a family member fighting for their life, a seemingly impossible situation, or upheavel in our country, we must remember that God is standing with us, holding back the waters of our situation. We aren't alone, no matter how alone we may feel or how hopeless our circumstances may seem. The Isrealites were scared and questioned everything, which helps us to realize that its normal to doubt and question and be afraid. But we must choose not to stay there. We must be williing to move with God.

We have the ability, as people of God, to read story after story of His faithfulness to His people. Those stories are found throughout the Bible but also in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We must choose to believe in His goodness and His desire to fight for us. 

There are illnesses, groups of people, and terrible situations that think they are winning, just as the Eyptians did. "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Galatians 6:7

Don't fear, fellow Christian, God will not be mocked by anything or anyone. Keep your eyes on Him, stay alert, and stand firm. God wins and therefore, we do too! It may not look like we imagined it would (I'm sure the Isrealites never imagined the parting of the Red Sea!) but He knows exactly what He is doing and never stops fighting for us!

Tori