Reflections on Exodus

Exodus 14:1-31

- The Israelites are camping next to the Red Sea.

- The Egyptians regret letting the Israelites go and mobilize their army to pursue.

- The Israelites are terrified and wonder why God would allow this.

- God parts the Red Sea, and the Israelites go through the sea followed by the Egyptians.

- God destroys the Egyptian army in a final act of triumph and the Israelites rejoice!

Our trials and hardships aren’t just about us!

God has such wonderful rich purposes and plans that are so much bigger than we could ever imagine!  Often times though, we get so caught up in our own little fishbowl of a world that when things aren’t going our way.  We don’t understand that what is going on may not even be about us.  The Israelites were terrified when the Egyptian army came out against them.  This may have been the final “might” that the Egyptians still put their trust in vs. fearing Yahweh.  But God’s love for the Israelites AND the Egyptians was to continue to reveal that He alone was God.  Their mighty armies were crushed by the sea, and the nation that had been so mighty, built on the backs of slaves, had been humbled and brought low.

Many times in the past my own trials and hardships made no sense until later.  Sometimes I found out that my own decision to follow God when it made no sense gave someone ELSE courage and hope.  Sometimes I found out that the whole thing was really for someone else’s benefit, for someone else to see God, and God simply asks us sometimes if we will let Him use us however, whenever, even when it doesn’t seem fair or make sense to us!  But the joy of being a tool in God’s hands is a wonderful thing, and like the Israelites, it will produce in us a stronger and richer faith in God in the long run.

So trust God!  Follow obediently knowing that He can use all situations to reach and impact others, as well as mold us and shape us!  But remember, it’s not all about us!

By: Alfred Turley (Dalton Campus Pastor)