Following God- Finding a "Dead End"

Scripture Reading: Exodus 14: 5-13

Key Verse: Moses answered the people, " Do not  be afraid" (Exodus 14:13)

Meditation: Most of us have followed our "hunch" sincerely thinking it is a short cut, only to discover a dead-end road. But what complicated that discovery for Moses at the Red Sea was the fact that *he had faithfully followed the guidance of God! Now they were trapped on three sides with Pharaoh in hot pursuit from the rear with 600 chariots and thousands of solders. Fear and anger took over with the Israelis blaming Moses, and indirectly, God, and second guessing this whole venture which now appeared to be suicidal.

Look at he words God told Moses to speak. Apply them to your present situation where life seems to be out of control. Do not be afraid. God warned them not to allow the natural emotion of fear to turn into panic. Moses did not ask them to deny their fears or the reality of their threat. Fear is a God-given natural emotion. Someone has said, "In the beginning there may not be such a big gap between fear and faith as we might think". If we could discipline ourselves immediately to look up to God to pray we could neutralize most of our fears and transform them into trust.

To deal with our fears constructively we must affirm God's  guardianship and sovereignty. Some of our worst moments of fear come if we fell unguarded by God. The biblical world view assures us God is in control and even if "disaster" should strike, His sovereignty will rescue something positive even from a negative situation.

Thought for the Day: Help me, Lord, in every cul-de-sac of human impossibility, to first look upward.

* pages 236-260 in The Miracles of Exodus also examines this very fact. The author, Colin Humphreys believes that the crossing point was a 7 day journey from their homes  in Ramses. He also believes that the Israelis actually did cross the dry river bed of the the Gulf of Aqaba just before a  tsunami.

  If you are really interested in finding more facts on this you can find the video on You-tube- uploaded by James Arendt this video underlines the book as well. The Saudis and other nations of the Middle East are hiding much from the world. 

 But this devotional addition is not here to prove the existence of the words of God- but in the guidance of God in our lives today. God has lead me to some interesting places in my journey. I am sure you have also found some interesting circumstances.

I personally do not think fear is a God-given emotion. It often stops us from moving forward. We need to walk in faith, in boldness just as David did when he faced Goliath, when Moses faced Pharaoh. I think I would like to talk to my uncle about this one when we see each other again.