A Way Through the Waters
So let's talk about how God makes a way. In verse 16 and 17 of Isaiah 43 we read, “This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:”
Now, Isaiah was telling the Israelites to think back in their history to the first time God had made away from them - the Exodus. God's people were slaves in Egypt, oppressed, treated badly, and God miraculously intervened and made away for them to be set free.
Do you remember the plagues that God inflicted upon Pharaoh in Egypt because Pharaoh refused to let God's people go? Eventually he did let them go but changed his mind when they where on their way out. And so he gathered his army and they chased off to the Israelites and in their great climax to their escape, God parted the Red Sea and the people made their way through the waters.
And all throughout the rest of the Old Testament God continually tells these people: “Remember, remember what I did for you when I led you out of Egypt.” That was the main event in Jewish history.
Hope Amidst Obstacles
Can you imagine God's people under Pharaoh's rule feeling very dejected? Thinking to themselves there's no way out. Then God would intervene and Pharaoh would say, okay, I give up. God's people would feel hope! We're getting out of here at last! And then Pharaoh would change his mind and God's people would go, Oh, so close. But we're still here.
Maybe that sounds familiar to you. Every time you think you're about to be done with your struggles, they just seem to start all over again. An author named Mark Manson once wrote this, “Life is a never-ending stream of problems that must be confronted, surmounted and solved.”
I can just imagine God's people arriving at that Red Sea. There's no way forward, and the enemy’s coming up behind them, and they're thinking, No way, another obstacle. This time we're doomed. God has led us to our own death.
But what happened? As we read, He made a way through the sea, a path through the waters.
Trust in Providence
Friends, don't despair if you feel like you're stuck. Don't despair if you're facing another obstacle. Don't despair if there are mighty waters in front of you and an enemy behind you. Don't despair if all seems lost. I believe that God will make a way through the waters. He will make a way for you and for me at just the right moment.
And so can I implore you to trust in Him this year and look for the openings that He makes for you, because His promises are true. Even when there seems to be no way forward, He is planning one. Hold to that as you face your oceans and your enemies.
