The Crossing of the Red Sea

As Exodus 14 begins, the Israelites have barely begun to experience what it means to be free and they’re already facing their first serious crisis of faith. Pharaoh and the mighty Egyptian army are hot on their heels, and it looks like they have revenge on their minds. It’s important to note that at this point Israel was doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing. They were going only where YHWH told them to go. So they were left wondering: What was God doing? Why isn’t He rescuing his people?

By following YHWH and his servant Moses, the Hebrew people were thrown into a crisis. With their circumstances getting worse by the second, they were beginning to lose all hope. They were beginning to wonder if maybe they weren’t better off living in bondage in Egypt than being free in the desert? 

Our study this morning provides us with an opportunity to wrestle with a difficult question: Where is God when it feels like everything is falling apart? This is not an easy question to answer. But this morning’s passage in Exodus reminds us of a helpful Biblical truth: When we face a crisis, we’re called to walk by faith, not to get busy doing something. Even when you can’t see the way forward, you can look to Christ and trust the One who is the Way!