Being Humbled by the Greatness of God!
Exodus 14:11
“Then they said to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?”
The Israelites found themselves in what seemed a hopeless situation. With Pharaoh’s army advancing from behind and the Red Sea in front of them, there appeared to be no way of escape for them. Frightened, frustrated, and angry, they cried out to the Lord and Moses, questioning why God would bring them out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness at the hands of Pharaoh. In Exodus 14:14, Moses responds to their fears by saying, “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” However, God does something even beyond Moses’ expectations.
A Divine Revelation
God then instructs Moses to, “Tell the Israelites to go forward, and as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.” It must have been humbling for the Israelites, who were spewing words of anger and contempt at God moments earlier, to witness one of the greatest miracles ever recorded in Scripture. God parts the Red Sea with a mighty wind and makes a way for His people to escape through it.
For an encore, God then destroys Pharaoh’s army by closing the waters of the Red Sea and drowning them all. God not only annihilated the enemy, but He also removed any possibility of the Israelites returning to Egypt. Why is this important? Like the Israelites, when difficult circumstances arise, we either complain about them, shake our fists in contempt of God, or demand that He explain Himself. Asking such questions as: “Why are we in this mess?” “Why is this happening?” “What have we done to deserve this?” And so on…as if God is not good, and His ways are not perfect and just. Like the Israelites, when life presents obstacles that block our path forward, we often want to return to what is familiar, even when that way is perilous.
However, it can be just as humbling for us as it was for the Israelites when we see our own Red Sea part and God miraculously makes a way of escape where there is no way. And yes, He usually has to close all alternative routes before we trust Him completely. The Ancient of Days is the same today as He was then. It’s time to put our trust in Him!
A Divine Challenge
When our circumstances are beyond our control, they are never beyond His control. He will prove Himself, as He always has, to be good, perfect, and just in all His ways. There is a reason for the circumstances in our lives. God will either use them to challenge us in ways that deepen our faith and bring us into a greater dependency upon Him. Or they will be used to expose our lack of faith, where anger, frustration, fear, and hopelessness cause us to doubt God.
Call to Action
If the latter is true of you, I pray that when God does the miraculous in your midst. May it humble you, convict you, and challenge you to trust God alone with the difficult circumstances you face. If you trust God until He proves Himself untrustworthy, you will never have a trust issue with God.
Father, great is Your faithfulness to us. Help us reflect on Your steadfast love for us when we encounter difficult circumstances beyond our control. You have proven Yourself time and time again to be our ever-present hope in times of trouble. Help us, in all humility, to cast our cares and our concerns on You so we can experience the “peace that surpasses all understanding that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!