Out of God’s great love for His children he miraculously leads them out of Egypt. Yet at their first resting place they find themselves hemmed in between the desert and the Red Sea. Then, to make matters worse, the whole Egyptian army is now bearing down on them! You can understand how they all start crying out in complaint to Moses and to God. Finding yourself “between a rock and a hard place” is not a pleasant place to be. What is God doing?

God is doing many things. But, the most important thing He is doing for His people at that Red Sea is revealing to them who He is. They will come to know Him by these overwhelming circumstances. And it is the same for you and me today. It is through difficulties, the most hopeless of circumstances, that God is teaching us about himself in ways that we will never comprehend by reading a book or sitting in a class. He sets the stage to demonstrate His glory and show you Himself. This is how you come to know Him – by experience. The cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, the parting of the sea, the water from the rock, the bread from heaven; without the crisis we see no need and we have no reason to cry out to him. “And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of he Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Exodus 14:31.

God will keep hemming you in and putting you into impossible places. He is setting the stage to do something great once again. Yes, it is a test of your faith – that is the nature of the Christian life! The next time you find yourself wanting to cry out to God in complaint, start looking for what He is going to do. I can promise you – it will be great, it will be good, and you will come to know him in ways you have not known him before.

“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11