I AM TAKING YOU TO A NEW PLACE by Gary Wilkerson
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. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in’” (Exodus 14:1-3, ESV).
God was telling the children of Israel in Egypt, “I am taking you to a new land.”
If you have been to Israel, you know that the place God was taking them is very rocky — huge boulders on one side and mountains on the other. God led them through this area and then they saw the Red Sea in the distance. As they neared the Red Sea they came to a beach area where they were jammed into a small space. Now there were rocks on one side and water on the other. And this is exactly where God had called them to be.
Pharoah looked at this and declared, “The Israelites are hemmed in with their backs to the wall.”
Have you ever had God call you into what is probably the last place you want to be?
Moses had not been much of a military leader up to this point; in fact, he had not been in many battles. But he was schooled well enough to know, “I’m not sure we’re in the best place for a military defense. Actually, we’re trapped!”
Moses and the children of Israel truly were in a difficult place but God wanted them to be there because He was going to get glory out of it. God will sometimes allow us to be in places that seem difficult but He has a great plan for us. What we think of as being trapped with our back to the wall is God’s way of saying, “This situation is going to bring Me glory.”
Some of you reading this article are in a situation where you feel hemmed in. You do not see a way ahead and your circumstances are so overwhelming that you are wondering, “Is there any hope left for me?”
In those dangerous places you have taken a step of faith and said, “Yes, God, I will obey You no matter the cost and no matter how difficult it is.” When you do that, you find yourself right on the edge of seeing God move mightily.
If you know the rest of this story from Exodus, you know that God caused the Red Sea to part and the children of Israel to march through on dry land — toward a new place.
God was telling the children of Israel in Egypt, “I am taking you to a new land.”
If you have been to Israel, you know that the place God was taking them is very rocky — huge boulders on one side and mountains on the other. God led them through this area and then they saw the Red Sea in the distance. As they neared the Red Sea they came to a beach area where they were jammed into a small space. Now there were rocks on one side and water on the other. And this is exactly where God had called them to be.
Pharoah looked at this and declared, “The Israelites are hemmed in with their backs to the wall.”
Have you ever had God call you into what is probably the last place you want to be?
Moses had not been much of a military leader up to this point; in fact, he had not been in many battles. But he was schooled well enough to know, “I’m not sure we’re in the best place for a military defense. Actually, we’re trapped!”
Moses and the children of Israel truly were in a difficult place but God wanted them to be there because He was going to get glory out of it. God will sometimes allow us to be in places that seem difficult but He has a great plan for us. What we think of as being trapped with our back to the wall is God’s way of saying, “This situation is going to bring Me glory.”
Some of you reading this article are in a situation where you feel hemmed in. You do not see a way ahead and your circumstances are so overwhelming that you are wondering, “Is there any hope left for me?”
In those dangerous places you have taken a step of faith and said, “Yes, God, I will obey You no matter the cost and no matter how difficult it is.” When you do that, you find yourself right on the edge of seeing God move mightily.
If you know the rest of this story from Exodus, you know that God caused the Red Sea to part and the children of Israel to march through on dry land — toward a new place.