Wait On The Lord

Exodus 14:10-14, 21-25, 15:20-21

Trapped like a mouse in a corner.  No direction to safely turn, no way to escape.  That’s the way the children of Israel felt here in our passage today.  Sometimes that’s the way we feel, too.  No way out of the problems that surround and threaten to destroy us.  Moses had just lead the people out of Egypt following hundreds of years as slaves.  Everyone was joyous over that.  They were one happy bunch.  But now they were on the banks of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army was closing in on them.  There was no where to turn to.  The desert and wilderness to the right and left, the Red Sea before them, and the strongest, most armed and trained army in the world at that time behind them.  What were they to do?  What would you do?  

The children of Israel went into a knee-shaking fear and panic, crying to God, and turning on Moses.  Only a few weeks ago they had witnessed God show His power and love to them by bringing the 10 plagues on their captors, the Egyptians.  And only hours before He had delivered them from their captivity as slaves with the death of the firstborn of Egypt.  It seems these recent miracles in their lives had been forgotten.  Now they were in a real life and death dilemma.  Would God deliver them this time?   Many people have quoted the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.”  Neither that saying, nor its philosophy, are in the Bible.  God helps those who turn to Him in faith and wait on Him for His help and deliverance.  This was what Moses told the people.  They were to stand still, not be afraid, and just watch the Lord work His mighty power on their behalf (vs. 13-14).

The people had a choice then of what to do.  They could decide to just give up and let the Egyptians kill them there.  They also could have decided to surrender to the Egyptians, and hope that they would let them go back to Egypt as slaves again.  The Israelites also could have tried to fight the Egyptian army in their own strength, or they could wholly wait on the Lord and let Him fight the battle for them.

When we have a large, overwhelming problem that comes in our life, how do we react?  Do we panic and go to pieces, crying that God has abandoned us, and lash out on those around us?  When those problems come charging at us like the Egyptian army we can choose to just give up, to just let them “kill us”.  Obviously that is not a wise choice.  We can do what many choose to do, and that is to surrender to the world and its ways.  We can let the world drag us back into slavery.  If we choose to do that we can be sure that the world will not be a gentle taskmaster, especially if we had gone the way of the Lord for a while, but now have gone back to it.  Another choice is to try and solve our problems, or fight the world on our own, in our own strength.  Our strength is not sufficient to fight against the enemies of our soul, any more than the children of Israel’s worldly strength would have been able to fight against the Egyptians.

Our best choice, really our only real choice is to wait on the Lord and trust His help.  Even though the Israelites thought there was no hope, the Red Sea ahead of them, wilderness on either side, and an army behind them, God would make a way for them out of this situation.  The Red Sea did not take God by surprise, nor the Egyptian army.  He had planned this route.  Our problems are not a surprise to Him, either.  Just as He did at this time in Exodus, God will make a way for us, even if there seems to be no way.  He will come to our rescue (vs. 21-25).

What do we need to do?  The same thing that Moses told the people - “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” (vs. 13).  Moses held out his hand and God parted the Red Sea before their eyes.  Probably one of the most dramatic and glorious miracles in the whole Bible.  The waters parted and the people crossed on dry ground.  Then, as the army pursued after them, God brought the waters back upon their enemies, destroying them.  If we trust in God and His power of deliverance, He will do the same for us, and we can, and should, sing in praise that He has triumphed gloriously! (vs 15:21)