Exodus 14 / When Life Doesn't Go As Planned
Have you ever experienced a loss of control in your life? An unexpected obstacle? Perhaps it’s the loss of a loved one, a miscarriage, a layoff at work, or chronic health issues. Whatever it may be, we’ve all found life doesn’t always go as planned.
In the book of Exodus, Israel faced an unexpected obstacle—the Red Sea. After the highest high of their exodus from slavery, Israel faced the lowest low of an insurmountable obstacle. With a wall of water in front of them and an army of Egyptians behind them, Israel despaired of all hope; “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!” (Exodus 14:12)
But Moses responds: “The Lord your God will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Be still? Be still with an army in pursuit and an obstacle in the way? Surely Moses wasn't serious. But Exodus 14 shows us that stillness is not the same as idleness. In Exodus 14, stillness is:
Seeking God’s power
The Israelites recognized they couldn’t overcome their enemies or their obstacles. In their inability, they cried out to God for help. When life doesn’t go as planned, cry out to God for help.
Obeying God’s voice.
Interestingly enough, it was obedience to God that put Israel in this predicament in the first place (Exodus 14:1-4). And yet what God had ordained, Israel obeyed. When life doesn’t go as planned, hold on to what you know to be true.
Trusting God’s heart
The only thing that would save Israel now was a move of God. And it was God’s heart to part the Red Sea and rescue His people in their moment of need. For followers of Jesus, we know we can trust God’s heart; in the face of certain death from sin, God gave His Son to save us. When life doesn’t go as planned, trust God’s heart to protect you.
The gospel proves to us that God will not leave us or forsake us. In the path He ordains for us to walk, the Lord our God will fight for us; we need only to be still.
Blessings,
Pastor Kevin G
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