Red Sea Moments Lead Us Through Our Problems

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.
–Isaiah 43:2

All of us face impossible situations sometimes, don’t we? Our backs are up against the wall; there seems to be no way of escape. And even if we believe the miraculous stories of the Bible like the parting of the Red Sea, we tend to think, “Well, that was then, but this is now. God just does not do the same kinds of things today as He did thousands of years ago.” But the Bible I read says God is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Aren’t you glad of that? The same God who was able to part the Red Sea is ready and able to work miraculously on your behalf.

As we face our own impossible situations, we must remember that God is the One who designs our life’s map. And these impossible situations–our “Red Sea moments,” as we call them–are designed by God for our growth. God allows us to experience Red Sea moments so that when we face current and future challenges, we can remember that God has delivered us safely to this point.

As we look as the experiences of the ancient Israelites, we discover an important insight about Red Sea moments: God gives us Red Sea moments to lead us through, not out of, our problems.

God did not lead the Israelites away from the Red Sea. He did not lead them around the Red Sea. God led Israel through the Red Sea. And it is the same way with His leading in our lives as well. Right now, you may feel like your back is against the wall, perhaps in your finances, your health, or a difficult relationship. You are praying that God would take you out of this situation. Sometimes God does take you out of the situation, but most of the time He takes you through it.

This principle reminds me of a story I heard about an old farmer who had plowed around a large rock in his field for years. He had broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it. After breaking another plowshare and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it. When he put his crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and he could break it up easily. The old farmer learned that the best way out of his problem was through it.

God’s plan for us is not to lead us away from problems or around problems. Usually it is God’s will to lead us through that challenge we are facing. That is what Red Sea moments are all about.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Seizing Your Red Sea Moment” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2005.

Story adapted from Roy B. Zuck, “The Speaker’s Quote Book: Over 4,500 Illustrations And Quotations For All Occasions” (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997), 269-70.

Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.