Last week I looked at the story of the Red Sea parting in Exodus 14. I focused on the reality that just as God was protecting the Israelites from their enemies while they waited for the sea to part, similarly, God is protecting and keeping us while we are waiting for our situation to turn around.
    In the case of the Israelites, the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud that was in front of them, guiding them, simply moved to the back of them. That way, their enemies who were right behind them could not touch them the entire night that the winds blew to part those massive waters. 
    However, something else gets my attention with this movement. Maybe God needed them to be confident that He had their back, that He was covering and protecting them so that they could keep their focus before them. He didn’t need them so distracted by what was happening behind them, that they missed the miracle that was taking place in front of them. Additionally, He had told them to move forward. He needed them to keep their focus in front not behind so that when it was time to move forward they would be able to do so. They would not be going backward trying to deal with what was behind them. 
    I think sometimes, we too get so caught up with what’s going on behind us, even around us, that we miss the miracles, big and small, that are taking place right before our very eyes. Just as the Egyptians were a distraction to what God was doing, in the same way, our challenges and fears can be a distraction to us. We miss being thankful for what God is actually doing. We may also become so caught up with feelings of discouragement and frustration that it is difficult to move forward into what God has in store.
    In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples were on their way to the other side of the lake by boat. Jesus was not with them but up on a mountaintop praying. The winds became contrary and started to toss the boat around in the water. Jesus went to them walking on water. At first, they didn’t recognise Him but when they did, Peter asked to walk on the water also. Peter was doing fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused once more on the strong winds and rough sea. Immediately, he began to sink.
    Jesus was doing something miraculous but Peter had to keep his eyes focused on Jesus in front of Him and to keep moving forward. From the time he took his eyes off of Him, feelings of fear stepped in and he was unable to keep moving forward. He cut short his opportunity to experience the miraculous.
    We, too, need to keep our focus on God and on what He has done and is doing in our lives. With our eyes fixed on Him instead of behind or around us we will not sink, we will not miss the opportunity to witness and experience the good He is doing in the midst of our challenging situation. And, when it is time to move forward into what God has in store for us, we will be able to do so, not hindered by the distractions around us.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. No matter what is happening around you, God is right there working things out on your behalf. As you keep your eyes fixed on Him, you will be able to move forward into the beautiful things He has in store for you.

    Recently, I was pondering the Red Sea parting in Exodus 14. As a child, the cartoons I watched on the story showed an immediate parting of the waters when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. But, when I examined the text, verse 21 says that when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, during the course of the night, a strong east wind blew, drove the sea back and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided and became a wall on either side of the dry path.
    I found that interesting because the Bible also says that the Israelites could see the Egyptians marching towards them. They, of course, became terrified and began to complain to Moses. The Lord instructed Moses what to do and in the meantime, He did something interesting. As the people moved forward, the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud that was in front of them guiding them, moved to the back of them. These were now positioned between the Israelites and the Egyptians. As if that wasn’t enough, throughout the night, that cloud prevented the two sides from connecting with each other (vv.19-20).
    I love the image that comes to my mind as I recall this story. While the Israelites waited for God to make a way for them through that Red Sea, He protected them from their enemies. Let’s be real. Their enemies were literally right behind them. I am sure they could have easily reached out and touched them. Yet, God prevented that from happening. Think about it. While you wait for your deliverance to come, for God to make a way, God is protecting you, He is keeping you. We may panic because we feel as if the problem will destroy us and we will never make it. That’s how the Israelites must have felt. Their enemies were right there. Would they ever be able to escape and make it to safety? 
    When you think about it, the Lord took hours to part that body of water (v.21). He could have taken minutes, I am sure, but the Israelites had to wait some hours before deliverance could come. To them, those hours may have seemed like an eternity. Isn’t that how it feels to us at times while we wait on God to come through for us? “How long Lord?” is probably a common cry for many. We wonder when will the pain end, when will the trauma end, when will deliverance come, when will complete healing take place. Waiting is never easy for anyone and although the Israelites had to wait some hours, those hours must have felt like an eternity. What made it worse was that their “problem” was so close to them they could probably pretty much reach out and touch them. Maybe some of us can relate?
    Yet, no matter how close their enemies were, God was even closer. He was the one preventing any actual connection between the two sides. I believe that was a miracle in itself. The Red Sea parting was one miracle, but God preventing His people’s enemies from being able to even reach out and touch them while they waited for Him to make a way of escape for them, was another miracle.
    Believe it or not, even though it doesn’t seem so, God is protecting and keeping you while you wait. Sometimes, you may feel as if you’re not going to make it but you will. God seems to be taking so long to answer, so long to deliver you, that you may feel that the “Egyptians” will certainly be able to reach you and destroy you. But guess what? God did not allow that to happen to the Israelites, He will not allow that to happen to you. Just as He literally had their back while the Red Sea was being parted, He will also have your back while you wait for your season of testing to come to an end. While you wait, you are safe!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is very much a present help when you are in trouble. However, He isn’t just present, He is right there protecting and keeping you while you wait for your salvation, for your deliverance to finally come.

    I love the story of king Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 20). Combined armies were coming against them and they were dreadfully afraid. Yet, Jehoshaphat resolved to turn to the Lord his God for help. He did not turn to man, he did not turn to another nation but to his God for help in a situation that was way bigger than them. He laid his claim before God and ended his prayer acknowledging that he had no idea what to do concerning the vast army coming against them but they would keep their eyes on Him. In response, the Lord assured them that the battle was not theirs but His (v.15). They would not even need to fight in the battle. All they would have to do was stand still and see how God would deliver them (v.17).
    The next day, as the army went out, Jehoshaphat put a group of singers in front of the army to sing praises to the Lord God. Believe it or not, this unusual strategy worked. As they praised, their enemies began to fight against one another until they were completely consumed. Not a man was left alive! By the time the children of Judah reached them, all they saw was dead bodies. It took them three days to remove and carry away all the valuables and jewellery they found on the dead bodies. God had come through for them big time!
    What catches my attention among other things, is the fact that as the army of Judah went out to meet their enemies, they went out with songs of praise to the Lord.  God was ultimately their King and they would do battle the way He directed them. They did not praise God after the battle ended but before the battle even began! God had told them not to worry, He would handle it and they chose to trust Him. He did not disappoint.
    Can you remember times when God told you not to worry, He would handle it and you chose to praise and thank Him instead of worry? Maybe it was a seemingly tiny insignificant instance or something major that happened in your life. The reality is that praise and thanksgiving are some of the most powerful weapons we have. When we choose to praise God and be thankful in the face of dire circumstances, even before a situation actually works out, it shifts our focus from the problem to God. He, in turn, has a way of using that attitude of gratitude to turn things around for our good. 
    I am reminded of the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:16-40, when they were thrown into prison simply because they cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl. Her owners became angry because they were making money through her fortune-telling. While in jail, however, Paul and Silas chose to pray and sing hymns to God. As a result God delivered them out of their prison and salvation was brought to the jailer and his entire household. They did not wait to get out of prison to praise God. They praised Him while there, when they did not even know what their fate would be. 
    God wants us to trust Him enough to praise Him and give Him thanks because at the end of the day, He still has the final say on our situation. Yes, things may look as scary and as discouraging as that combined army that came against king Jehoshaphat and Judah. They were outnumbered just as you might feel outnumbered at times. But, when God is on your side, you truly don’t need to worry. Like Jehoshaphat, fix your eyes on the One who can solve the problem, and who is bigger than the problem facing you. Choose instead to praise and be thankful, instead of worry and complain. There is truly power in prayer but there is also power in praise and thanksgiving. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. You know the battle you are facing, whether it be external (outside forces) or internal (inner struggles). Yet, God is bigger than what you are facing and when you choose to fix your eyes on Him and praise Him even when it doesn’t make sense, God will come through for you. He will not fail you.​