Seeing God Move

Have you ever found yourself in a predicament, a tight spot, or a place where you were at the mercy of someone else to help you out? You are stuck between a proverbial “rock and a hard place.”

Growing up, my family loved to go snow skiing. Being the youngest, I loved the speed of coming down the mountains. Thinking I could go faster than everyone else, I often found myself in some tight spots. One time, I took the last curve too quickly and flew off the mountain path, landing in a very deep snow drift. I was stuck no matter how hard I tried to get out of that deep snow.

If you experienced time stuck between a rock and a hard place, then you can appreciate what Moses and the people of Israel were up against. The Lord called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. God desired to teach His people about total dependence on Him. The Lord led the people through Moses out of Egypt, providing for their every need as they followed His lead.

Then in Exodus 14, God tells Moses to backtrack. God took the people to a dead-end street. Militarily, it was the most vulnerable place to be. Why would God do this? Because God wanted to fight 

the Hebrews’ battle for them. All of their lives, they had been fighting their own battles. Maybe that is where you have been or where you are now.

What are we supposed to do when we face times stuck between a “rock and a hard place?” Exodus 14:13-14 tells us, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

God gave four powerful commands to the people at that moment. Here’s what we should learn from it:

Don’t Fear. Our first response is fear when we face change and uncertainty. Ours is a world that thrives on fear, and chaotic times seem to drive us to fear. Yet God, throughout His Word, tells us that “He will never leave us or forsake us” and that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love and a sound mind.

Stand Still. Don’t move. Don’t try to fix anything yet. Don’t start running because you don’t know where to go.

Watch. See what God will do. In your hurry to control things, don’t run ahead and miss the mighty hand of God.

Keep Silent. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. God knows your situation and is waiting for us to hand it over to Him.

All of us have faced a Red Sea moment at some point in our lives. I have learned from my walk with the Lord during those times. It takes tight places to break lifetime habits. Why does God sometimes lead us to dead ends and tight places? Because it often takes those tough and tight spots to break us free from those areas of our lives that, for far too long, we have been trying to control.

Sometimes for God to break through and teach us some lessons about who He is, we have to be surrounded with no escape route. The only place to look is up when surrounded on all sides. Many of us have to come to the end of what we can do before we see what God can do.

If God is to get the glory, He must do the fighting. That way, when He accomplishes victory, all the applause, focus, and glory goes to Him and how He is leading, guiding, and providing.

So, what did I do stuck in that snow drift? Did I finally figure a way to get out on my own? No. The harder I tried to move, the worse it got. The only way I could get to safety was to stay still and listen to my father’s voice, who climbed out into the middle of that drift to help get me free. 

Years later, I never forget that mental picture and remember exactly how the Lord desires to move in our lives if we let Him. Maybe in your situation today, you need to be reminded of God’s truth in Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God.”

Questions for Thought

Daily Challenge