AT THE DEAD END OF LIFE

This message was preached at Grace Baptist Church in WEstlake, Ohio (www.gbcwestlake.org) on May 17, 2009. The study of the people of Israel and their journey to the Promised Land is a very insteresting and instructive one. I am learning alot but also realizing that this story is about me as well. There are a ton of things that I need to apply to my own heart and life. There are times in life when we seem to be at a dead end. What we do in those times says alot about who we are trusting in to make it through life: ourselves or God. This is a continual challenge to me. I trust, as you read this message, that you will be challenged as well.
Greg

AT THE DEAD END OF LIFE
Exodus 14:1-31

Please turn in your Bible to Exodus, the 2nd book of the Bible, and chapter 14…Exodus 14.

Let me bring you quickly up to date. God called an 80 year old Shepherd, named Moses, to lead His people Israel, out of bondage in Egypt. In order to do so, God would send 10 terrible plagues on the land and people of Egypt, so that they would know who He was and would then let His people go. Finally, after the 10th plague, the King of Egypt, Pharaoh, was willing to obey God and let His people go. Let’s look at what happened. On the screen is a summary, beginning in:

Exodus 12:31-41 – “Then he [Pharaoh] summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said…The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, We shall all be dead…The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children…The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

Think about it…this is all the people of Israel had known. Their fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers had been slaves in Egypt, and now…they were free! There were about 2,000,000 Israelites who walked out of Egypt, and were on their way to the land God had promised them. What an incredible thing! They had seen God perform miracles and bring them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Now, they just needed to follow His lead. He could certainly be trusted! Come back, for a moment, to the end of chapter 13; and look at:

Exodus 13:21,22 – “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

So, to review (in your notes):
God gave Himself to His people through a cloud and fire, to lead them.
This would be easy right? They didn’t need to think very long about God’s will. All they needed to do was follow Him. He appeared as a cloud in the day, and all they needed to do was follow that cloud. They could do that! And then when night fell, He would lead them by fire that lit up the night sky. Just follow the cloud, and just follow the fire. No problem.

Don’t you wish we had that? Don’t you wish that God would lead that clearly in your life? Don’t be so sure that He doesn’t. As we noted last week, God had given us His guidebook for our lives. There are hundreds of things we know to be the will of God. We just have to do them.

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

God’s Word, the Bible, is our cloud and fire, to lead and guide us. I know it may not give you the particular answers you are looking for, but nevertheless, it guides us to do God’s will. You see, because of God’s Word, there are things that we never have to wonder about, whether it is God’s will or not. Is it God’s will to tell the truth in all circumstances? The Bible tells us: yes. So, if you are wondering, in your own situation, whether or not God wants you to tell the truth, the answer is clear. The answer is also clear for the following questions:
· Should I have sex outside of marriage? No

The Bible is clear that God created sex for marriage only; and we can see the destruction is causes when people decide to do it their way and not God’s.

But, we might ask:
· Why did God give me such a strong sex drive if he didn’t want me to use it?
· God didn’t expect me just to stop, when the temptation was so great, did He?
· But my spouse wasn’t faithful to me- why should I be faithful to Him?
· But no one will marry me, and I have these needs. Won’t God understand?

We try to justify our sinful actions, as though we don’t know God’s will, when He has made it crystal clear. Here is another one:

· Should I give sacrificially, joyfully and voluntarily to God? Yes.

The Bible is clear about that. But, we ask the questions anyway:
· I don’t have to give when the whole country is in a recession do I?
· God doesn’t expect me to give unless I have extra money right?
· Doesn’t God understand that I need this money for myself?
· Since God is concerned with the heart, isn’t it o.k. if I just give 3% instead of 10% or greater? It won’t fit my budget.

Money is one of those things that we struggle with the most; and yet God has clearly told us what our priorities are to be and how to please Him in our giving.
One more question that shouldn’t be a question:

· Should I forgive that person? Yes

God is crystal clear about this issue of forgiveness; and yet we question it:
· God doesn’t expect me to really forgive that person, does He?
· How can I forgive Him when He hasn’t asked for forgiveness?
· Am I supposed to forgive that person, even though they hurt me, over and over and over again?
· But they don’t deserve forgiveness – how can you expect me to do it?

In each of these questions, God uses His Word as a cloud and fire to say: this is what my will is. The only real question is this: Will you obey me? So, yes, it seems easy, to just follow the cloud and the fire, to follow God’s revealed Word. But, in reality, because of our selfish and sinful natures, it is not that easy…is it?

What should our response be?
· Find out what the Word of God says and just do it.

I know that is harder than it sounds; but at the basic level, that is what each of us is asked by God to do. So, in trying to figure out what God wants for your life, begin there. Read, study and apply the Word of God to your life…daily.

Israel had God leading them by a cloud and by fire. They just had to follow. But, they were about to find out that we don’t always like where God leads us; and it doesn’t always make sense to us. In fact, it seems like we are at a dead end in life, and have no way out. So, we come up with our own solutions rather than trust in God for deliverance and help.

They were married for 21 years, but once their children were grown and out of the house, the reality set in…they didn’t know each other, they didn’t really like each other…fact is, that they stayed together for the children. But now, with the children gone, they felt they were at a dead end. And the only logical conclusion they could come up with seemed obvious…and so they got the divorce.

She was a young, vivacious woman with a ton of potential and hopes for the future. But, she was sexually abused by a family friend, was threatened into keeping it a secret and didn’t tell anyone. She found some safety in giving of her body to interested boys, but never found true security or satisfaction. In fact, she became the butt of jokes and target of humiliation at school. In her mind, she had reached, even at an early age, the dead end of life. And to her, there was only one way to solve the problem. So, while her parents were gone for the weekend, she overdosed on pills; and took her own life by suicide.

He seemed to have it all. He had a young wife, 3 beautiful children, and a well paying job. Life couldn’t get any better. It got tougher when one of his children became ill, but at least the insurance through his company covered the costs for the best health care money could buy. He and his wife had their differences, but as long as he provided her with the nicest clothes, home and vacations, she seemed to be satisfied. Why should he complain? But, on the day he unexpectedly lost his job, everything changed. He no longer had the insurance to care for his son’s medical needs. He could no longer give his wife everything she wanted. And the jobs he could get didn’t come close to what he had before.

He was at a dead end and didn’t know what to do. Divorce and suicide never entered his mind; but he would do anything, and I mean, anything, to get out of his circumstances. That is when a friend of his introduced him to the world of gambling…and when he won some money with his very first bet, he thought he had stumbled on to the way recovering his dream and having all the money he wanted. But, he eventually started losing, and yet he didn’t stop gambling. In fact, he didn’t feel he could. He secretly gambled away their life savings and went quickly into major debt. He was now addicted to gambling…his response to his dead road.

How do these happen? When you come to a seeming dead end in life, how are you tempted to resolve your problems? Let’s find out this morning the different responses of people to a dead end situation that came into being for the people of God, the children of Israel. And also, let’s consider what we should do when we face similar circumstances in life.

Exodus 14:1-4 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. In front of Baal-zephon, you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory
over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so.”

General Washington was approaching one of the fiercest battles of his campaign.He and his troops had crossed over a bridge as they were nearing the battle when one of his officers came to him and asked whether or not to burn the bridge behind them.(It was customary to burn the bridges as they crossed over them to prevent the enemy from slipping up on them from behind & to prevent soldiers from running away from the battle when it became to hot to handle.)The great General Washington looked toward the battle and then looked back to where they had come from and then back toward the battle and then gave his answer.“Burn the bridge, it is either victory or death.” God had led the people of Israel into a place where they had no choice but to be desperate for His help.

This was a little strange, wasn’t it? Basically, God asked Moses to take the 2,000,000 people and backtrack to a place that seemed more like a place to rest than a route to get where they needed to go. According to pastor and commentator Charles Swindoll:

“The trouble was, Baal-zephon formed a perfect geographical cul-de-sac. A dead-end street. Just to the north stood some formidable Egyptian fortresses – massive stone structures. No way they could get through there. To the south lay the vast Egyptian desert called Mizraim. No protection there. To the west lay Raamses and Goshen. That’s where they’d just been; They couldn’t return to Egypt. To the east lay the Red Sea, today called the Gulf of Suez. The northernmost section of that gulf was the Reed Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, most often translated the Red Sea.”

But, as God told Moses where to go, He also told Him what would happen. Here was His plan: Go to this dead end…and, Pharaoh will hear about where you are, and realize that you are trapped. I will then harden Pharaoh’s heart and He will decide to pursue you with all He has. And I will have victory over them. And the reasons I am doing this, is so that I will have the glory and not Pharaoh, and the Egyptians will know I am the LORD, Jehovah, the promise keeping God who is all about having a special relationship with His people. Now, Moses could have questioned that; but he led the people exactly where God said. And exactly what God said took place:

Exodus 14:5-9 – “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.”

Here are the circumstances, in which Israel found itself:
· The Egyptian army was pursuing them, to take them back to slavery
· Israel was at a dead end, with no way of escape

Just as with the stories I told you earlier, there are several options for responses when we get to a dead end in life. I want you to see how different people in this story responded to this circumstance; and then consider how you should respond to yours. The first response was this:

· The Egyptian army trapped the people of Israel and thought they were in control.

Pharaoh had finally obeyed God, but now he was questioning whether he should have done that or not. The effect of the plagues somehow wore off, and all he could think about was that he had lost all of his slaves! Now, he and his people were going to have to do the work. And, he received word that Israel had put themselves in a dead end of sorts, and the opportunity to regain all of his servants arose. So, he hardened his heart, which God was in control of (God hardened it), and took his military force and went after the people of Israel. He was probably thinking that he had Israel trapped, there was nothing they could do, and he would have easy victory. Apparently, they had not learned enough about God from the 10 plagues, and they were willing to test Him again.

It was true: someone was trapped; but it wasn’t the Israelites. God had the Egyptian armies right where He wanted them, in order to teach them about Himself; and to bring judgment on them once again for their disbelief.
An article appeared in the USA Today this week, about an airplane crash last week in the Buffalo area: “In the minutes before their commuter plane gyrated out of control near Buffalo, the pilots of a Continental Connection flight joked and talked about work conditions – distractions that were forbidden under federal law. The cockpit recording released by the National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday offers some of the first clues that could help explain why the pilots allowed the place to get too slow and then apparently tugged the plane into a sudden, fatal climb. It shows that the pilots were perhaps inattentive during a critical phase of the flight as they prepared to land. Other evidence released by the safety board suggests they may also have suffered from lack of sleep, poor training and inattentive oversight by federal regulators…Neither pilot realized that they had reduced the power to a dangerously low setting, according the recording and other data released by the safety board…instead of adding power and lowering the plane’s nose as pilots are taught, Renslow pulled the plane into a climb that slowed it even further.”

These pilots became too comfortable with their own ability to handle anything that might come. They thought they were in control; but because of their negligence, lives were lost. The king of Egypt thought he was in control…still! He had the people of Israel where he wanted them, and all he needed to do was show his military might and take the people back under his control. But, he failed to recognize what he was up against. He failed to follow God’s rules; and because of that, all his army would be lost.

So, that was the perception of this by the King and his army. But, what was the first impression and perception of this by the people of Israel? They had seen God’s power in deliverance. They were being led to the Promised Land by God, who was guiding them by a cloud and by fire. But, unfortunately, they allowed their present circumstances to control their response:

Exodus 14:10-12 – “When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Here is the next response to the same circumstance:
· The people of Israel blamed Moses, and thought God had lost control.

This is humanly understandable, isn’t it? This is not what they signed up for. This was not according to their plan! The location was not bad, because they did not expect what was about to happen. Can you imagine the thunderous noise and looking up to see what the commotion is all about; and to see the Egyptian army, in all its strength in pursuit…And to realize the obvious…we are trapped; and then to assume…we are all going to die!

So, they cried out to the LORD, which I assume, was for deliverance. That was not a bad move. However, the next thing they did revealed what was going on in their hearts, and really, their lack of trust in God. They did what most of us do when we don’t like the circumstances God has put us in…we try to blame someone else. And if you are in any position of authority, then you have experienced what I have experienced, what Moses experienced… when people feel trapped and are under stress, they tend to blame the leader…in this case, Moses.

We cannot forget, that as we travel through this Old Testament book, it is not just for us to learn facts of thousands of years ago; but to grow in our knowledge of the truth, and to apply that truth to real life today:

Romans 15:4 – “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
So, what should your response be to similar situations of a seeming dead end?

· When you feel trapped, remember that God is in complete control and has His own purposes in mind.

If they would have remembered what God had done and His promises, and applied them to their circumstances, they could have trusted. God made it clear that it was no mistake that they were in that spot. In fact, HE had led them there:

Exodus 13:17,18 – “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea…”

And in the first few verses of chapter 14, God told Moses where to take them and told him exactly what would happen. God was in control of this; and it is no different today. When Israel blamed Moses and complained against Him, you could tell that their perspective was warped:
· They assumed they were going to die: “what- no graves in Egypt, so you brought us out here?
· They were ungrateful - They saw it as something Moses did terribly to them, rather than praising God and thanking Moses for delivering them from 400 plus years of slavery!
· They deceived themselves - They acted as though slavery was better: didn’t we tell you we wanted to stay in Egypt – it is better to be slaves in Egypt than to come out here and be killed!

Now… it is easy for us to listen to their complaints, and respond: Are you crazy? Don’t you realize what God has done for you? Don’t you remember the plagues? You trusted Him to get you out of Egypt; and you can’t trust Him to get you out of Pharaoh’s hands now? Are you insane, thinking that slavery is better than freedom? We have a lot of things we would like to tell the Israelites. But, not so quickly. Because, believe it or not, the same things the people of Israel struggled with here, are the things we struggle with as well. Like what, you might ask? Here are some of the deceptive thoughts we can easily buy into:

· Once I become a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, and am free from my bondage to sin and spiritual death, life will be easy. Now, we might not say that, but it is what many Christians believe. They are not prepared for the hardships that come with Christianity. Here is another deceptive thought:
· God would never lead me to a dead end. You think if you are in a trapped situation, that someone else is to blame; when, in reality, God led you or allowed you to be there, to fulfill His own purposes. We might also think:
· God’s will is that I would be happy, healthy and wealthy. Garbage. God’s will is that you would glorify Him by growing spiritually; and usually that involves some discomfort, which might includes times of sadness, ill health and financial problems. God is more concerned about your holiness than He is your happiness. Now, ultimately, when you are in Heaven, you will have eternity to be happy, healthy and wealthy. But, for now, it might not be.

Every day, we are tempted to think these types of deceptive thoughts, especially when we find ourselves in less than admirable circumstances. But, it is in those very types of situations, that our faith is tested, and we find out where our hope truly lies. We are tempted to think deceptive thoughts; but instead, this is to be:

II Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Walking by faith means that we can trust even when the circumstances seem dim.
How is Moses going to respond to this circumstance and to the criticisms and blame of the people? Will he punish them? Will he attack them verbally as well? Will he pass the blame to someone else? Let’s find out what this leader does:

Exodus 14:13,14 – “And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Moses’ response:
· Moses, Israel’s leader, pointed them to God and to trust in Him

That is what a good leader does. Regardless of the circumstances, he reminds people that God is in control and knows what He is doing. The leader encourages them to believe and to see what God will do. Instead of taking matters into their own hands, the good leader challenges them to believe in God’s promises and let God do what only He can do.

He told them: stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD. They were not going to be able to do anything to save themselves. They were going to just have to watch God do His thing. The Bible encourages us, in everyday life, to:

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

“Nine year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School that day. ‘Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind the enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. He used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.’ ‘Now, Joey, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?’ his mother asked. ‘Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!’”
Exodus 14:15-18 – “The LORD said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

God’s response:
· I will judge the Egyptians, and let them know who I am (the LORD)

This would be an incredible miracle. Had put everything in place so that he could perform this particular miracle to make it clear that He was the only God, to be trusted by Israel and feared by Egypt. God put His people in a situation in which they could not escape so that their only confidence could be in Him.

Chester Puller was a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps officer. While in command over a large number of men in combat, he inadvertently moved into an area that was crawling with the enemy. Suddenly he realized he and his men were surrounded. To the north lay a platoon of the enemy, as well as on both his flanks. To the rear, another company; all escape routes were closed off. What did Puller do? He just tightened his fist and said, That’s outstanding. They’ll never get away this time!”

This was God’s response to the dead end circumstances of Israel. God had always been in control. And His moves were meant to bring glory back to Himself. He wanted everyone, including His enemies, to know that He was Jehovah, the God who keeps His promises and desires a special relationship with His people…and that Egypt had rejected Him; but instead worship a variety of dead gods.

Exodus 14:19,20 – “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.”

The pillar moved between the Israelites and the Egyptians, indicating that God had become a wall of protection between His people and their enemies. The pillar gave light to Israel but darkness to the enemy, for the faithless people of Egypt couldn’t understand the ways of God.

The Egyptian army was there, but God did not allow them to attack yet. Humanly speaking, they should have been able to overtake them and capture them. But, when God is involved in human events, no one can do anything without God allowing them. He was setting up the circumstances for His purposes; and no one was going to disrupt His plan. The Bible declares:

Psalm 115:3 – “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

God took the circumstances that seemed like a dead end for His people and turned them into new circumstances, that brought hope, life and faith. The new circumstance was this: God was delivering His people

Exodus 14:21,22 – “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

The people of Israel did not respond well, but God kept His promises anyway and continued demonstrating His faithful love toward His people.

· Psalm 106:7,8 – “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them from his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.”

How did Moses respond to the fact that God was going to do this miracle?
· Moses obeyed God by doing everything He said to do

He communicated the truth to the people; and he followed God’s instructions throughout this process.

Exodus 14:23-25 – “The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch, the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

What was the enemies’ response:
· The Egyptians pursued Israel, recognized God’s presence, and then tried to retreat.

Warren Wiersbe writes: When Moses stretched out his hand, the Lord sent a powerful wind that drove the sea waters back and opened the way for the Jews to cross. Psalm 77:16-20 indicates that a severe rainstorm accompanied the high winds, and after Israel had crossed, the rain turned Israel’s dry pathway into a muddy road. When the Egyptian soldiers tried to follow, the mud disabled their chariots and impeded their progress and when the waters returned, all the Egyptian soldiers were drowned. It was indeed a night to be remembered.”

Exodus 14:26-28 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.”

God’s response:
· God parted the Red Sea for His people to pass through; and then brought the waters back on the Egyptians, killing them all.

He performed the miracle of parting the waters; and now the miracle of bringing it down at His command. And did you notice how complete God’s work of judgment was: “not one of them remained.”

Exodus 14:29-31 – “But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.”

Response:
· God’s people placed their trust in God and His leader Moses.

The people saw the incredible miracle God performed in protecting them and in bringing judgment on the Egyptians. That caused them to fear the LORD.

To fear God means that you respect who He is by humbly obeying Him. It is not as much about being afraid of Him as it is an understanding of His character and works that leads us to follow His commands with a humble spirit. Pharaoh and Egypt did just the opposite.

Your response:
· Respond to what God has done by trusting and humbly obeying.

“Gladys Alward, missionary to China more than fifty years ago, was forced to flee when the Japanese invaded Yangcheng. But she could not leave her work behind. With only one assistant, she led more than a hundred orphans over the mountains toward Free China. In their book "The Hidden Price of Greatness," Ray Besson and Ranelda Mack Hunsicker tell what happened: "During Gladys’s harrowing journey out of war-torn Yangcheng ... she grappled with despair as never before. After passing a sleepless night, she faced the morning with no hope of reaching safety. A 13-year-old girl in the group reminded her of their much-loved story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. "But I am not Moses," Gladys cried in desperation. "Of course you aren’t," the girl said, "but Jehovah is still God." When Gladys and the orphans made it through, they proved once again that no matter how inadequate we feel, God is still God, and we can trust in him. When the situation seems impossible, just remember to have a personal confidence in God, practice obedience to God, and understand that God has a purpose in all the experiences we have with Him.”

Take some time to meditate and pray about what you have just heard from God’s Word. And then, listen to the song as you are encouraged to remember God.