When All Seems Lost

The Egyptians were in hot pursuit of the Israelites. Pharaoh had changed his mind… again… and was chasing after his past slaves.

Moses was their leader.

He was assigned and anointed to bring the Israelites to the Promised Land.
He had his fair share of struggles.
Personal and as a leader.
He had heard the complaints of his people and had seen God move on their behalf.

Just before Exodus 14, we see God using the pillar of fire and the cloud to guide them to their destination. God had given them just what they needed, when they need it.

Now, it was much more serious, though.

This time, God had to do something greater!

The Egyptians were behind, the sea was in front.

Something was gonna have to give or the past journey was gonna be wasted. All of God’s works on the Israelites’ behalf, all of the plagues to get them free, all of the talk of being “His People.” It all seemed to be hanging on the edge of the fence.

In that moment, Moses, one of history’s greatest leaders. One of the Bible’s most beloved heroes stands up to his people and says,

Exodus 14:13 (ESV) …“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.

What guts!

How sure was he? I don’t know. I do know that we can learn a lot from this one statement by Moses.

We can learn that, as leaders, we have to act with confidence. Sure, authenticity and relationship are always key components to leadership, but when the times are tough, people want to see their leader confident and composed.

We can learn that, as believers, we can remember the past faithfulness of God for assurance of the present capability of God. Moses knew that God could do this. He knew that God could move the ocean’s waters. Moses knew that God would take care of the persecution behind them.

Being a Pastor, I always like to dig deeper. I love what the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says…

Never, perhaps, was the fortitude of a man so severely tried as that of the Hebrew leader in this crisis, exposed as he was to various and inevitable dangers, the most formidable of which was the vengeance of a seditious and desperate multitude; but his meek, unruffled, magnanimous composure presents one of the sublimest examples of moral courage to be found in history. And whence did his courage arise? He saw the miraculous cloud still accompanying them, and his confidence arose solely from the hope of a divine interposition, although, perhaps, he might have looked for the expected deliverance in every quarter, rather than in the direction of the sea…

Wow. What boldness from our man Moses.

Leader, act with confidence knowing that the vision God called you to is His, not yours.

Believer, be confident that your God is more than capable. Speak with boldness about what you KNOW He will do!