A miraculous escape

Stuck between two mountains facing the Red Sea, the children of Israel found themselves in a desperate situation, while an angry Pharaoh and his iron chariots were approaching behind them.

It's a very familiar story, one that you've heard throughout your entire church life. God had led Israel into a terrible ordeal where they were pursued by a fierce enemy. As incredible as it may seem, the Lord had voluntarily led His people in this precarious situation. I believe it is a story of great importance to the Church today, at this precise moment in our history.

Israel was trapped, apparently without any hope. And this caused great panic throughout the camp of Israel. Women and children wept, huddled around their fathers and grandparents. A group of furious elders attacked their leader, Moses, fervently accusing him : "Are not there enough graves in Egypt for you to bring us here to die ?" We told you in Egypt to leave us alone. It would have been better for us to be the slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt rather than die in this miserable desert !"

I wonder if Moses had a moment of fear at the time. I imagine him falling on his knees, crying, "Lord, what is going on ? How can this be Your will for us ?" In an incredible way, in this dark moment, God performed a miracle of deliverance for Israel. Suddenly, the winds blew so violently that they separated the sea in two. With a miraculous relief issue before them, the people walked across the sea on dry ground. Then, when Pharaoh and his army tried to follow, the waves fell, drowning them in the furious waters.

"In that day the LORD delivered Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians; And Israel lives on the shore of the sea, the Egyptians who were dead. Israel saw the mighty hand which the Lord had directed against the Egyptians. And the people feared the LORD, and he believed in the LORD, and in Moses his servant" (Exodus 14: 30-31).

David Wilkerson