What to Do When Surrounded By Problems

“ ... Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Then 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 into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left...” — Exodus 14:11-22

Sometimes there are problems in this life that pursue us. For whatever reasons – life’s circumstances have evolved into troubles that cause stress, heartache, broken relationships, any number of things that we wish were not happening – that we are desperate to escape. That is the way it was for the nation of Israel. They were in Egypt because they had escaped famine – but as foreigners they had become disenfranchised and eventually treated as slaves. Moses led them out of that misery only for the people to find themselves trapped by the sea and pursued by the Egyptian army. In the face of certain doom, they saw returning to a life of slavery as the lesser of two evils. They were in an impossible situation – the only option – give up.  But God was not intimidated by the Egyptian Army and He was not stopped because of the Red Sea. It was because of the faith and obedience of Moses that the power and presence of God changed the ending to the story. God made a way when Israel thought there was no way. 

“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. …. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.” – Joshua 13:30-33, 14:1-10

So now the problem was not behind them, but it was something that they had to do that seemed impossible to them. Cross the River and face great danger. In the face of certain doom, they saw returning to a life of slavery as the lesser of two evils. After all they had seen God do, when they faced a problem, they looked at themselves and what they could do and not God. Because they lacked faith, they wandered in the desert for 40 years until all of the disobedient generation had died in the desert – the promise of God was missed because of their lack of faith. 

In the one case, it was the trouble that was upon them – in this case, it was the trouble that was looming before them. In both cases, it was trouble that they could not overcome on their own. And in both cases, God was standing at the ready to intervene.

Life has a way of testing our resolve and our faith doesn’t it. We may be in the midst of trouble or we may see trouble looming on the horizon. We think it is going to be our undoing. We stand to lose everything worldly thing we trusted in .. everything we had hoped would be. Our hearts pound – we lose sleep – we shed tears – we wish we could be in a safer place – even if it is not a better place – may even ready to make a deal with the Devil to not have to bear the burden that is upon us or is right around the corner. 

We are not so different than the people we read about in the Bible. In fact – that is the point – we are not different.  And neither is God.  I don’t know what trouble you are in or that you might by facing. But it is never so big that God is not bigger. Some troubles we bring on ourselves. Some are out of our control and not of our doing. It doesn’t matter the source – what does matter is the solution.

“ …. count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  – James 1:2-8

It is possible that we can think about God but not trust God. That we can want one solution for a problem but God presents us with another – that we do not like – and we lack the faith to trust Him. The nation of Israel was double minded – trusting in what they saw more than in Whom they said they believed.  I know, first hand, that trusting God can be a struggle when you feel the breath of the lion on your neck. You might ask in the moment – “God are you really there? Do You really care?” The answer is “Yes!”

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone