Over the past weeks, we’ve talked about our wilderness seasons – 40 days or 40 years – and how to trust God completely. We’ve learned trust is a verb and in order to demonstrate our trust in God – we have to have opportunities. It is the very reason God led the Israelites to the Red Sea which became one of the pivotal moments in their history (reflected on by the Psalmist, historians, and New Testament writers). Everyone marvels at this move by God while drawing lessons from the Israelites’ behavior. God intentionally led the Israelites to the Red Sea – a place and situation which appeared to be a dead end.
God intentionally does the same thing in our lives. In fact, if we investigate the moves of God throughout the Bible, most of the greatest miracles come at what seems a dead end (Abraham and Sarah, Lazarus, Wedding at Cana, and more). In Matthew 5:3 (MSG), Jesus even says, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.” Isn’t it ironic how we love miracles but not so much the environment which is so conducive to them? If you are at the end of yourself – congrats! If you are between a rock and a hard place – congrats! God leads us intentionally to Red Sea moments because they are specifically curated opportunities for us to trust Him.
Why? Red Sea moments help us keep our eyes on God. The Israelites set out toward the Promised Land, following God the long way round, carrying gold and silver and more from the Egyptians, as well as Joseph’s coffin. Joseph had known God would deliver them because of what God had done in his life, and he made them promise to take him when the time came. His coffin should have served as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and encouraged them, much like the reminders of His faithfulness that we carry with us in the wilderness even when we question the path on which He is leading us.
They also had another reminder to keep their eyes on Him – a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. While we don’t have a pillar leading us every step of the way, we do have the Word of God to guide us. Their pillar provided light to the Israelites just like God’s Word does for us. If they kept their eyes on the pillar and trusted God, they were safe and the enemy could not touch them, likewise as long as we keep our eyes on God and His Word, we are safe! We cannot allow ourselves to be focused and fixate on what is behind us but must keep our eyes on God. This week, may we remember that when our eyes are on God, what is behind us is of no consequence.