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Have you ever heard the expression “stuck between a rock and a hard place”? The best definition for this I’ve found is “being in a situation where you are faced with two equally difficult alternatives”. Perhaps, you have felt this way in certain times of your life or ministry. We may experience this in that discomfort of having to make hard decisions, taking a stand when it feels like you are all alone or even being thrust in the middle of a situation that no matter what you do or say it feels like a loss is inevitable. It could be that even now you have something going on in your life or ministry that puts you “stuck” in that unfortunate location. 

 In Exodus 14 we have one of the most well-known passages in all of scripture, the crossing of the red sea.  We’ve seen the movies, heard the messages, and sang songs all about this moment in history where God parts the waters to allow His people to cross the sea. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s divine intervention for His people. However, if you begin reading in chapter 14 it says “Then the Lord said to Moses,  “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.”” Did you catch the command of God to Moses? The Lord instructed that the people would “turn back” and encamp with Migdol on one side and the sea on the other. In other words, God put His people “between a rock and a hard place”. There was no place for them to go and the Egyptians would surely have them right where they wanted them. Or so it seems. I can imagine the questions murmuring about in the Israelites, “Why would God tell us to turn back and camp here?” “We are sitting ducks!” What we know now is that God was setting up His people for Him to do something divine that would take care of their enemy once and for all and seal the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians. God put them in a place where they had no choice but to be delivered by Him or they would surely perish. 

I want to encourage you brothers and sisters, perhaps God has put you in a place that allows Him to do something incredible in your life and your situation. Isn’t it just like God to do something that only He can do to not only deliver you but also destroy that thing once and  for all. Verse 30 says “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.” So put your trust in the Lord, He is still in the sea parting, people delivering, enemy defeating line of work. He will come through for you!