Have you ever heard the expression “Caught between a rock and a hard place”? It’s when you find yourself facing two options and neither one looks favorable or in some cases even possible. Many of us feel like we land there from time to time. Our circumstances on every side seem to be closing in quickly and there’s no apparent solution.
The Israelites experienced this after they fled Egypt. They’d been following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, not your normal GPS or road map. They made it all the way to the Red Sea and pitched their tents for the night. I can picture them busy at work when they suddenly hear a rumbling sound. What went through these weary travelers’ minds when they looked up and saw the Egyptian army heading straight for them? They had nowhere to go. Instead of being backed against a wall, they were backed up to the Red Sea, not your most likely exit [Exodus 14:1-10]. Can you relate?
Their immediate response was to lash out at Moses. After all, this was his fault. If he’d left well enough alone they would have been in bondage in Egypt, but they wouldn’t be dead [Exodus 14:11-12]. How many times do we find ourselves in a difficult situation and immediately start looking for someone to blame? It happens to the best of us. We see our circumstances and know there’s no way in the world we would have ever signed up to be there so we start looking for someone to blame.
In the case of the Israelites, and a lot of times in our case, God had orchestrated things and they were going according to plan…His plan. We need to remember His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways [Isaiah 55:8]. The Israelites’ plan was to escape bondage. The Egyptians’ plan was to capture the Israelites. Fortunately, for the Israelites “the LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.” [Psalm 33:10].
God’s plan was for the Israelites, just as His plans are for us [Jeremiah 29:11]. He was going to work everything for good before their very eyes [Romans 8:28]. “The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.” [Psalm 33:11].
God can make a way, where there seems to be no way…even through a sea [Exodus 14:13-28]. First, He became the rear guard of the Israelites by positioning His pillar of cloud and fire between the Egyptians and the Israelites [vs. 19-20]. Then, He did the impossible by splitting the Red Sea in two, making a path for the Israelites to cross into safety [vs. 21-22].
We tend to limit God by what our minds can conceive. We need to realize “nothing is impossible with God” [Luke 1:37]. Our circumstances may limit us, but they never limit Yahweh. He functions outside of our circumstances and does amazing things like part the Red Sea or allow us to walk on water [Matthew 14:25-24].
We have an opportunity to doubt and remain stuck or we can take a leap of faith and walk between two walls of water. What will you chose today? God’s way, which requires faith, or your way, which leaves room for doubt. It has to be one or the other. You must choose.