Rescue!

There was this young woman who was living in an abusing relationship. She had been married for a few years, and they didn’t have any children. She did not know of a way out and honestly wasn’t seeking one. She would occasionally attend a Bible Study with other women from the church nearby. As with any good small group, they began to bond with the young women and inquire about her life. A few that she really opened up to noticed the timid nature and the reluctance to meet anywhere else or at any other time. So they began to pray for her. As trust was built, they would also pray with her and help her in any way they could. Finally with the trust and hope that was built, the young woman was willing to seek assistance in leaving her bad situation. So they prayed for safety and resources, and came up with a plan. She would have to leave quick, with the help of a police officer and have her divorce papers ready to be delivered shortly after she was gone along with a restraining order, if she was able to get one. She had to have all this ready without much notice and be ready to move when the time came. When everything was ready, she left, yet that day still didn’t go exactly as planned and it certainly wasn’t easy.

This story is similar to the story of every Israelite as they prepared to leave Egypt, just on a much larger scale and in a different time and place. There are many elements in such a move. We are not just talking about going from a bad situation into a good situation, but a total life change. This change effects what you do, how you do things, what you can do, and how you think. Those in this situation has to process a lifestyle that is totally unknown where you have to learn as you go.

Pray and read Exodus 14:15-31

Change is not easy, even if it is going from a bad situation into a good one.

They had to follow Moses faithfully to know exactly where to go and when to move. Moses had to faithfully follow God and trust God and trust the Israelites, in leading this very large group out of Egypt and into the wilderness towards safety. That was the main goal right now; finding safety. They, especially Moses could not worry about the next steps or what may or may not happen. The focus had to just be on getting away from the threat of Egypt which would allow God’s people space to breathe and then focus on where they were to go next and what to do next.

The enemy is always close by. Wanting to take our focus off of what God is doing.

Satan will put up road blocks to cause you to have to pause. These road blocks may cause you to stumble. These road blocks may even make you stop for a time. However, never give up. God is working in your favor. Sometimes we can see the enemy a lot clearer than we can see our Savior. This is were we have to take our focus off of our feelings, which may be feelings of fear, worry, doubt, grief or quilt. We instead to to focus on what is true, pure, honorable, the things Paul tells us to focus on in Philippians 4:6-8. Above all trust, have faith and hope that our Savior is closer than we feel, working even when we don’t see clearly.

God is working in the waiting, and in our darkest points.

So just when they were on the move and close to being out of Egypt’s reach, they were blocked in by the Red Sea. Then they hear the army coming up close behind. The fog, which was the Holy Spirit that was leading them, moved behind them. The fog settled overnight between the Israelites and Egyptian army. The Israelites had to wait in the wilderness over night while God protected them with fog. They could only see the fog settling in and knew that the Egyptian army was very close by. They had to wait the night out not knowing where to go next even if they would be saved. Some lost faith and thought all hope was gone. Had Moses misled them? Had God failed them? Moses prayed, begging God to save them. Moses had to focus and listen to God. God told him to preform a great miracle. What would you do if you were Moses at this moment? Would you have the faith and hope to do such a crazy thing as expect the waters to divide at our command?

Sometimes, faith and hope are just the beginning. Courage and Wisdom leads us to act when and how God tells us to act.

With courage and God telling him what to do, Moses performed a miracle by parting of the Red Sea. Moses takes the staff that many times before have been the visible sign of God’s strength and work through him and his brother Aaron. Moses stretches out his hand and with a powerful wind, the waters began to roll back. What a sight to see. Now, the Israelites had to have faith, but also courage to walk between the tall walls of water, trusting that they would make it to the other side safe and sound.

We cannot have faith and hope if we are allowing fear to cloud our mind. The struggle many of us go through is the battle between hope and fear. If we can seek out faith and hope, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will find courage. With courage we ask for God to give us wisdom. We need this wisdom to know where God is leading us and what steps we are to take.

God does come through for them, and Moses come through on his promise. The Israelites see God destroy this enemy behind them. New life and a new way of life is in front of them. So what is next?

Faith leads to Hope, which leads to Courage, and that leads to Wisdom.

So where are you on this journey? Have you lost your faith? Have you no hope for the better? Pray for God to help you find your faith and your hope, seek them out. Maybe you are in a period of waiting, and in the waiting, you are being called to build on your faith and your hope. Maybe you have faith and hope, but you are fearful of what to do next or how to do what you know needs to be done. Do you have courage? Pray that God gives you strength for each day and focus on each step at a time. Walk in the strength God gives for each step. Have wisdom to follow God in each step. Pray that God gives you grace and wisdom to not lag behind or get ahead of God. Pray and ask God, “Do I have Wisdom, the wisdom only You can provide?”

As for the story I told at the beginning, I know you may be wondering what happened to the young women. Well that story is a mixture of other women I have known and helped, and even a part of my story. God has rescued me and lead me here. It has not been easy, and I have had to learn a lot. I am still learning about having courage and wisdom. But I will tell you more in the coming weeks.