"One order of FAITH to go, Please!"

Exodus 14:12-21

Today I invite you to dive into the Word with me and let's trust the Lord to divide the waters so that we can learn more about trusting Him in the impossible moments in our lives!
I remember when I first read this passage and the message came at a time when the bottom had fallen out in my life. The world had seemed to close in on me and I felt as though I had no place to escape to.

It was in 2004 and I had accepted the message of Gods salvation with a full understanding in February of that year! My life had changed in so many ways due to the divorce but I had an assurance now that God loved me and would never leave me or forsake me now that I had accepted him.

I imagine that is how Israel must have felt after leaving Egypt and heading out into the wilderness. They didn't really know what would happen next but they knew that their God had been there for them through the weeks of plagues in Egypt and had shielded them for the death that had swept over the Egyptians when one of their children died in each household. Their faith would have been pretty strong by now!

But something happened when they got out into the wilderness and had reached the sea beside Pi-hahiroth. Try to say that name five times fast! They saw the army of Pharaoh coming and they called out to the LORD because they were very afraid! They had just been spared over and over in Egypt and turned loose to leave and probably were singing praises when suddenly they found themselves surrounded by their captors again! Isn't this just how it happens in the lives of people even today sometimes?

You may have been tortured for years by someone or you may have been oppressed and degraded to the point that you felt that your life had little or no value at all. Your attacker seemed to have the power to do as they pleased and the attacks just kept coming day after day. Then suddenly your prayers were answered and the attacks stopped! The sun had finally shone through the cloudy skies that that had hung over you for so long. You finally were able to breath a fresh breath of relief and began to praise God for the victory! It was at that moment that you felt so blessed, wasn't it? I know because I was right there in 2004 when I finally seem to have some peace that there wasn't any reason left for any more conflict between my wife and myself. I had done all I could to make peace and resolve our legal issues, all the while loosing allot of my savings to pay for the legal fees. It had seemed as though we had finally reached a point where we agreed on the custody arrangements of equal custody; the separation arrangement on the material things and all the other details that came up.

Life seemed good! The sun was shining and my remodel work had picked up so there was money left over at the end of the month! I began to sing praises to my Lord!

That's pretty much what the Israelites were doing as they were free of their captors and were marching away when suddenly they realized they were being followed! Let's read about that,

Exodus 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were greatly afraid; and the children of Israel cried to the LORD.

Here they were once again calling out for help. Their freedom had been short lived and it seemed as though maybe God had left them right about the time they had begun to praising Him! This was so confusing because we feel like God wants to hear our praise and we are thanking God when we get another unexpected blow from the one who we just escaped from!
It says in verse ten that they were greatly afraid! Not kind of or starting to feel but very very afraid! These Egyptians had weapons and chariots and horses and they were trained to kill!
Sometimes our attackers also come at us with all of the weapons provided by the world! Sometimes they can seem so strong with their threats and even when they do something that looks like it could really cause you to loose all you have worked so hard to get over the previous months including the time to spend with your children. Their attorneys and their controlling attitude can come across as thought they are able to do whatever they want to do to you. That is pretty much how these people felt when they saw that army coming after them. Pharaoh had taken 600 special chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt along with the captains of everyone of them! Pharaoh was ready to make the Bog attack and celebrate his final victory over the children of God!

Exo 14:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
Exo 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.
Exo 14:9 But the Egyptians pursued them (all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army) and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
Exo 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were greatly afraid; and the children of Israel cried to the LORD.

What happened next is so like what I did with the Lord back in 2004. Let's read,

Exo 14:11 And they said to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why hast thou dealt thus with us, to conduct us out of Egypt?
It might have seemed easier to have never tried to fight for the rights and freedom that God has for us. We may have second thoughts about just letting them have their way. Could it have been easier Lord to just gone back to living in a sinful or abusive relationship? Let's read on as they are still talking to Moses here,

Exo 14:12 Is not this the word that we told thee in Egypt, Saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

I had fought for my rights as a husband and parent and gotten a fair shake it seemed. The battle was over and we had an agreement when suddenly I received a letter from her attorney changing everything we had agreed to. When I called her up she wouldn't talk to me as another way to confuse me and show control. Then she decided she was going to start keeping the children all week and just give me the weekends since I was a man and men unusually do that, she said. It was unbelievable how fast everything changed! The thing is that God knew what was going to happen next!

I cried out to God for some sign or miracle to let me know how to respond right to this attack of Satan on my life! Then I began to think about how hopeless it was to even try anything else. I had exhausted my means for paying my attorney anymore money and I really didn't want to go to court again but it looked like it was going to happen.

As I began to read this passage that night I realized something! I saw in this next verse exactly what we have been taught all our lives to do. Even Moses told his people to do this! Don't fear, be still, let the Lord fight for you and hold your peace! Well, the not fearing part was right and the part about letting God fight for them was true too, but the part about standing still wasn't right! It was going to take allot of faith on Moses part to lead Israel into the sea and believe God would part those waters. Lets read on,

Exo 14:13 And Moses said to the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
Exo 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Well, I thought about this and I prayed about it and I just didn't have peace about laying down and going to sleep trusting God to take the fight over. Thank goodness I didn't stop at this verse or I would have not gotten the message that was intended for me that night! Lets look at verse 15 and 16,
Exo 14:15 And the LORD said to Moses, Why cry thou to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Exo 14:16 But lift thou thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Not only did the Lord tell Moses to get moving forward but He also told Moses to take action! Why? Because HE had given him the power to do what was necessary to move forward! When God gives us a message to move on, it's going to be two things! It's going to be possible and it's going to be in the right direction! If it's not possible to move forward then you're probably not going in the right direction.

I realized it was time to take action and trust God to be my defence. I couldn't spend any more on attorney fees and I knew they were just trying to cause fear and confusion so I said to my self, "It's time to lift my rod and trust God to make a way before me because I was no longer going to let their attacks or my fear keep me from moving ahead in the way that God had laid out before me!

Look at what happened,

Exo 14:19 And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed, and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
Exo 14:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Even the angel that led them moved to the back of the camp! I'm here to tell you today, when God gives you the direction to move forward, nothing; I mean NOTHING will stand in your way!
I realized my trust had been in people for too long now. I knew what to do! I went to bed that night prepared and with a plan of action! It didn't make sense to anyone else but God knew it would work and that's all that mattered!

I called my attorney the next day and put her on hold. Then I called my wife's attorney and told her that I would be representing myself until further notice and to direct all future correspondence to me. She told me this was not a very wise decision on my part and I thought about why she would be so concerned about me anyways. Hmm? I realized then that she planned to drain me by continuing the fight until I gave in to her controlling offers. What I told her came out of my mouth before I had time to think but I said,"You can continue this fight if ou want to and you can take me to court as many times as you want but I had a talk with God last night and from now on you will not only be dealing directly with me but you will be dealing with God because last night I made God my defence and you'll be fighting us both on this because I know that I am fighting for what is right and fair!

That was on a Monday morning and I received a phone call from my wife about 30 minutes later telling me I had lost my mind and I didn't stand a chance. She said that I really needed to get some more advice from someone and I told her the same thing that I had told the attorney. She hung up on me!

By Friday I had received a letter from her attorney confirming our conversation except for the part about God being my defence of course! Then I couldn't believe my eyes! At the bottom of the page she said that she would no longer be representing my wife in this case!

That's when I knew that God knew that this second wave of attacks would drive me to do the last thing possible so that He could do the last thing impossible! The fight was over and we were able to settle matters without going to court through mediation.

Yes! Our LORD never really leaves us; He just longs for us to ask for his help when we need Him and then keep moving forward!

Lets pray,

My Lord, Jehovah Jireh, I ask you to open the waters before us today that the attackers may not follow us any further. I ask you Lord for your mighty hand of protection about me and my family. I ask you to keep me from evil so that I will not grieve others or you Lord! Thank you Father for all your blessings! Enlarge my territory that I may be used for you more each day of my life and may you angels follow me as I learned in yesterdays lesson that they are always there even though I cannot see them. I will go fearless into this day carrying with me the love of God and my faith in the things that I hope for! Thank you God for what you have done and the amazing things you are going to do this day! Amen.