Surrounded On Every Side – Dr. Hona Amer

Scripture:

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’ Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground’.” Exodus 14:10-16 (NIV)

Perspective:

Have you ever been up against a wall in your finances? Maybe you have been faithful in your giving to the Lord, but it is difficult to see how God is going to come through for you. What seems like a battle that you can’t fight on your own might be just the opportunity God wants to use to lead you through the Red Sea on dry ground.

The Israelites were finally freed from their oppression in Egypt. As Moses was leading them away from Egypt toward the promised land, Pharaoh realized the error of his way. How had he let all of his slaves go freely? So, instead of passively sitting by, Pharaoh and his army pursued the Israelites. And when the Israelites saw the Egyptians coming, fear seized their hearts. How could God deliver them from the Egyptians only to face a battle that they were not prepared to fight? The wailing started. They were asking all of the why, how, and who questions. On one side, the Egyptians stood, and on the other side, the Red Sea was an impenetrable barrier. They were surrounded on every side. And they felt the fear deep inside of their hearts. What they didn’t realize is that they were standing on the edge of a miraculous victory. The miracle was coming even though it seemed like their back was up against the wall. God was about to work in a way they had never experienced. If the Israelites had not been in that situation, they might have missed walking through the Red Sea on dry ground. They couldn’t yet see how God was going to work, but God was still working. And when your back is up against a wall, the stage is set for a divine miracle. When we are surrounded on all sides by difficulties, fear has a way of turning our trust in God into worry and anxiety. We, like the Israelites, start to wail in our hearts. How could God bring me to this point? Doesn’t he love and care about me? When we become afraid, we start asking a lot of questions that start with “why.” It might even seem like the enemy is gaining ground and there is no way out. Interestingly, it’s not about the type of battle you are facing; its about trusting God who will fight for you. The Lord wants to fight for you, but we have to get off the merry-go-round in our mind of recounting the impossibilities, silence our wailing, and let go of our fear. Have you considered the fact that God is working in your situation to allow you to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground? What seems like a setback might really be a set-up for God to move. If you are surrounding on every side today, hold onto the promises of God; your situation is setting the stage for a divine miracle.