In Exodus 14, the Israelites who had been slaves to the Egyptians for many years, are finally free. However, when the Egyptians realise that they have released the help they had come to depend on, they decide to pursue after them. It turned out that the Lord had lead the Israelites through a particular path where they would be trapped. The Egyptians saw this as their opportunity to get them back.
    With the Egyptians marching behind them and the Red Sea in front, the Israelites saw no way of escape. They were indeed trapped. They cried out to God and to Moses. Moses encouraged them not to be afraid because God would deliver them. He also promised that they would never see their enemies again. The Angel of the Lord who was in front of them, moved and positioned Himself behind them, thus protecting them from the Egyptians, while God made a way for them. As Moses stretched out his hand toward the Sea, a strong east wind blew during the night and parted the waters until they stood like a wall on two sides. The Israelites were able to walk between them on dry ground. The Egyptians tried to follow but God removed the wheels from their chariots so that they moved with difficulty. Too late, they realised that God was fighting for the Israelites. After the Israelites reached the other side safely, Moses stretched out his hand again over the waters and they moved back into place drowning the entire Egyptian army. 
    At times, we may find ourselves in situations where we may feel trapped. We can’t see any way out. It is at this point that we can choose to complain or to trust. As fear overwhelms us, the temptation to complain may most often prevail. When we can’t see God and we don’t understand what is happening or why He is allowing it to happen, we may quicker respond to fear instead of faith. Yes, we know what God’s Word says and we know that He is able, but when faced with a real challenge, it can be hard to see a way through. 
    I am sure that this is how the Israelites felt. They had seen what God had done in Egypt through the various plagues, yet, memory may have failed them as they found themselves faced with a new trial. They naturally began to complain as they saw the possibility of losing their recently acquired freedom. Yet, if God delivered them before, He would do it again…and He did. God had allowed them to be in a situation where they were completely powerless. He wanted them to see how He was able to break them free from a hopeless situation because He wanted them to learn to trust Him. 
    It’s the same with us. There is no situation we go through that is too hard for our God. As I mentioned last week, a breakthrough from a biblical perspective, is a sudden, powerful act where God steps in. The Israelites needed their God to step in. They were completely powerless before the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. But, what was too hard, even impossible for them, was not too hard for their God. It’s interesting that before they died, even the Egyptians realised that it was God who was fighting for the Israelites (v.25). God got the glory even from their enemies!
    Whatever you may be going through, God is right there with you. You may not feel Him or see Him but He is there. As His child, He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. The Israelites had to wait while that east wind blew to part the waters. But while they waited, the Angel of the Lord positioned Himself between them and their enemies. Their enemies could not touch them while they waited. They were safe! It’s the same with us. While we wait for deliverance, healing, restoration, breakthrough, God is protecting us, preventing the enemy from being able to destroy us. Yes, the enemy may feel very near, but our God is even nearer, dictating how far the enemy can actually go. 
    Our God of breakthrough will come through, in His own way and time. He will not fail you. Be encouraged!
    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 a God of breakthrough. He knows exactly how and when to step in and bring the relief we need. He will never fail us. He is nearer than we think. Just trust Him.

    In the book of Judges, there are a number of accounts of God delivering His people, the Israelites, from their oppressors. On one such occasion, after being oppressed by the Midianites for seven years, the Israelites cry out to their God (Judges 6). He, in turn, decides to use Gideon of the tribe of Manasseh. Although Gideon points out that he  is from the smallest clan in the tribe and the youngest, God chooses to use him anyway. 
    Gideon gathers his men from various other tribes as well as his own, yet, interestingly, God tells him that the army is too big (Judges 7:2). God knew that if they were to win the battle, they would not give the glory to Him but to themselves and their own ability. He finally brought the army down to a mere three hundred men. This was indeed a tiny number because the Midianites had been joined by the Amalekites and the eastern peoples to fight against Israel and their army was many times the size of the Israelite army (v.12). Yet, even with the odds against them, God uses this tiny group to defeat their enemies and bring deliverance to Israel.
    Typically, the word “breakthrough” denotes an important development or achievement. In a biblical context, however, it signifies a sudden, powerful act where God steps in. This is what happened in the account in Judges. The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites and were unable to break free on their own (6:1-6). They needed God to step in and fight on their behalf and deliver them from an impossible situation.    
    In our own lives, we will find ourselves in situations where we know that we know that only God can deliver us. We may have tried everything but nothing worked. The Israelites had reached the point where they sheltered in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds just to get away from their enemies. They were terribly afraid of them and felt powerless to defend themselves. Their enemies, on the other hand, were relentless in their destruction of Israelite crops and livestock. They ravaged the land so much so that the Israelites struggled to survive. It was truly an impossible situation. But when the Israelites cried out to their God, things changed.
    Crying out to God is always the perfect solution to any challenging situation. On various occasions, when faced with difficult situations, I would hear God say “Give it to me,” and I would release it to Him, knowing that He is the answer to whatever I am facing. The battle is still not ours but the Lord’s. The reality is, we are always trying to handle it on our own. But when we turn to God and allow Him to step in and take over, there is always that sense of release and relief because the burden is no longer ours to carry.
    Interestingly, Gideon chose to point out his inability to defend his people. He told the angel of the Lord that he belonged to the smallest family in the smallest tribe and that he was the youngest. He could not see himself as a great deliverer. Unfortunately, it didn’t help when God whittled down his army to a mere three hundred men. The thing with God is that He doesn’t see the way man sees. We see our insignificance, our inability to do the job. God sees Himself working in and through us to get the job done. It was never about Gideon’s or his tribe’s or even the army’s  ability or strength but God’s. God was going to do the fighting. They had to do the trusting. It’s the same with us. God will do the fighting, we have to do the trusting. The God of breakthrough is still able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think. That’s why He is the God of breakthrough. He is able to do that sudden, powerful act that will bring us the deliverance we need when we need it. 
    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 more than able. He is not moved by numbers, or human power or strength. He knows what He can do in spite of the odds. We need to know it too. Just trust Him.