Why do trials come on people?

What is God doing?

How can I succeed against overwhelming odds?

Is my life where it needs to be in Christ?

The Exodus of Israel from Egypt is one of the greatest proofs of God's love for man in human history. These people whom God saved were not better than anyone else. They were not mighty, not smart, not the greatest nation that lived in that world. God has never chosen the great ones to save - that has never been His way. As The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NASB) "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; {27} but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, {28} and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, {29} that no man should boast before God."

Israel was a wonderful illustration of God's Grace - as are we. God just doesn't pull the creme of the crop out and save that creme. No, my Beloved, He chooses the Israel's, the David's, the Matthew's, Mark's, and John's. In our human arrogance we like to think He chose us because we are best, yet our lives - and Israel's - shows that God chooses those who need Him most. Those are the ones He calls, those in need.

Then He places those in need in a position where we need Him more.

Have you ever had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month? Have you ever went from a state of perfect happiness - the birds that were singing so sweetly in the trees are now birds of prey - and they're circling YOU! The rose that you smelt, so fragrant and wonderful, yields the honey bee that pops out of the bud and stings your nose. The meal that you ate at a wonderful party turns out to be tainted,, and you are running to the hospital with food poisoning. That happened to me, by the way, one time. From a moment of bliss and joy to the throes of terror, all in just a few moments. These are moments that make you shake your head, look up, and ask God "Why me?". These "why me?" moments come on all of us, and they certainly came on Israel as they stood at the banks of the Red Sea. Israel, who had miraculously been released from terrible slavery by the gracious and mighty hand of God, now looks at Moses and, as if with one voice, they cry out "Why Me?". The nation who left Egypt just a short while before, that had the Egyptians throwing gold and jewelry on their wagons to get rid of them - this nation now looks out and sees something they never expected to see. These very Egyptians who helped them leave the city are now, armed and with blood in their eyes, marching toward them, ready to destroy them with sword and spear. These very Egyptians, their old slave masters, are coming back with chains and cages, getting ready to bind them or blind them if they resist.

Israel was having a "Why Me?" sort of day.

God gives us all "Why Me?" days for a reason. He gave them to Israel, gave them to King David, gave them to the Apostles, and gave them to every person who ever draws breath on planet earth. The "Why Me?" moments are designed to make the unsaved look toward the Cross of Christ, and to make the Children of God turn their eyes upon Jesus. As that blessed song says:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth, will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

There are three things that God tell us when we fall into the "Why Me?" moments, and those three things are in this passage. They are:

1. Fear Ye Not
2. Stand Still
3. See The Salvation Of The Lord

Let's look at these three points, as God gives us the wisdom.

1. Fear Ye Not

Fear ye not ... The LORD shall fight for you ...

The first remedy we are given is "Fear ye not". The word "fear" here is the Hebrew Qal Imperfect yare’ {pronounced yaw-ray’}. This is the same word that God used when He spoke to Jacob who would become Israel, the father of this great nation:

Genesis 46:3 (KJV) "And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:"

You see, God allowed Joseph, Jacob's son, to be cast in a pit and sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where God our Savior elevated him to a position of power and prestige. Joseph sent for his father and brothers, and that small little family headed up by Jacob would one day become the mighty nation Israel that God would lead out of Egypt.

Israel, do not fear, because you are in God's plan. Israel, do not fear, because God was with you at your planting - He will certainly stay with you through the harvest.

Throughout Scripture were are told to yare’ {pronounced yaw-ray’}, FEAR God, but we are never, never told to fear anything apart from God. God alone controls all things. God alone is Sovereign, powerful, infinite, majestic, wonderful, and every word we can think of to exalt His holy presence. God lowered Himself, like a rose trampled in the dust, fallen to earth in pain and thorns to save us. God came and, born of a Virgin, poured out His blood to pay for our sins.

When trials come upon us we do not need to fear the trial, but we DO need to examine where we are in God. We do need to fear God, for the Scripture commands us to fear God our Creator:

Leviticus 25:17 (KJV) "Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God."

But to fear the moment, the trial, the tribulation - no, we do not need to fear that. God is able to overcome that trial. Jesus is able to lift us far above that moment.

When God heard the voices of Israel, lifted up and crying as a child to its Father, the Lord sent Moses to demand their release from Pharaoh. When God chose Moses to do this, that old Saint said:

Exodus 4:1 (KJV) "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee."

God gave Moses three signs to show the children of Israel that he was sent by the Almighty. The first sign was that of the serpent. Moses would cast his walking stick on the ground, and that stick would be a serpent. When Moses grabbed the stick by the tail, that serpent would become a rod again. The second sign would be a leprous hand. Moses would stretch out a hand, and that hand would be white, spotty, leprous and diseased - but when he pulled his hand back to his breast it would become clean once more. These were powerful signs, wonderful signs. But the greatest sign, the greatest sign was the third sign:

Exodus 4:9 (KJV) "And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land."

That would be the sign of blood. Moses would take a pitcher of water from the river and, once he poured that water out, that water would become blood when it hit the dry land. If no other sign would convince Israel, the sign of The Blood should have convinced them. There is a rich, red strand that runs through the Scripture, and that red thread is the Blood of Christ. When Israel saw the Blood they would believe God's Messenger was Moses. They would follow Moses because of the Blood.

Now listen, Beloved. I believe, just as it is with every Church today, in every city, in every town, and in every state, and in every nation, that there are many on the Church Rolls that are not saved. They have never seen the Blood. They have never accepted Christ as Savior. Perhaps there are some in this room, even today, who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. They do not know that His Blood was poured out for them. Perhaps they even believe the Virgin Birth to be a fable, and Christ only a good Man, a Prophet murdered by His own people. As the Scripture says:

1 John 2:19 (KJV) "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

Many people saw the Blood when Moses poured it out of that pitcher, and all who saw the Blood and realized its significance followed Moses and followed God. Perhaps there were many born Israelite who saw the Blood and laughed at it as a cheap magician's trick. They were not with Israel at the Red Sea. The ones who stood at the Red Sea were the ones who saw Moses draw the water from the river, who saw Moses pour that water out, who saw that water become Blood.

Application: If you've seen the Blood poured out - if you've put the Blood on the doorposts of your heart - then you need not fear the armies of Satan that march against you. You need not fear the Egyptians who come to destroy you. You need not fear the leprous hand, nor the rod that turned to the snake. You need not fear the trials of life. Fear not! Fear only God, who alone controls all things. Fear God, who can part the waters, and bring us across on dry land. If you claim Christ as Savior, if you, like Israel, are under the Blood, then we can overcome because God WILL overcome:

Isaiah 43:2-3 (KJV) "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. {3} For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."

Turn from fear of man and angels, which is useless, and examine yourselves. Fear God, and know that He is your Savior!

2. Stand Still

"... stand still .... The LORD shall fight for you ... "

The second thing this text tells us is to stand still. This is the Hithpael Imperative of yatsab {pronounced yaw-tsab’}, which doesn't mean to stop like a deer in the headlights of a car, but it does mean to stand by, to relax, to get out of God's Way!

How many times do we as people lose a blessing because we get in God's Way? Think about this - God could have brought Israel out of Egypt any way He wanted to do it. Egypt isn't surrounded by the Red Sea. Egypt isn't an island, like England or Hawaii. If you look at an atlas you see that God could have taken Israel west across the Nile River. He could have taken Israel south along the Red Sea, and away from Egypt. Instead God has Moses lead Israel northeastward into a pocket where they are trapped between the Great Sea and the Red Sea. They are placed in a position where they must look toward God for salvation.

When a "Why Me?" moment comes to you, stand by and put your trust in God.

I remember as a younger boy swimming in the beautiful waters on the coast of North Carolina. Momma and daddy used to warn us about swimming too soon after eating, and about swimming too far out from shore. If you swam too soon after eating you could get cramps. If you swam too far from shore the dreaded riptide could get you, and drag you out to see. For those of you who don't know, a riptide is a strong current that forms along the coastline in the ocean. I don't know what causes riptides, but they have been known to catch and drag swimmers many miles away from land, drowning them in the process.

As is usual with a child, I didn't listen to momma or daddy, but went out swimming far from the shore. Then it hit me - I ran right into a riptide. Suddenly I felt a thousand hands pulling at my body, pulling me down, dragging me along as I saw the shore go past faster and faster. I was helpless against that tide, and the more I struggled to stay afloat, the more tired I got. Nothing seemed to work. Suddenly, I stopped struggling. I didn't know at that time, but I believe God put it in my heart to swim with the tide instead of against it. I remember swimming with the tide, and slowly angling my body toward the shore. Slowly the shore got closer and closer, until finally - praise God - my feet touched sand! I can't begin to describe how wonderful that sensation was. I was miles away from where I started, and it took me a long time to get back to where I should have been - but praise God, I was able to breath air instead of water.

When troubles and trials come we often want to struggle against them. Somehow we feel that we can overcome and dominate that situation. If we are sick we can overcome by seeking a doctor. If we're in a bad relationship we can overcome it by walking away from it, and finding another relationship. If our job is terrible we can overcome it by finding a better job, or by better education, or by networking with employment companies. The things that we do to overcome problems are only temporary, just as we are temporary. Here's what overcomes the world:

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus Christ our Savior overcomes the world. God our Savior who made all things overcomes the world. He Who, with His finger, drug is across the ground and made a channel for water to run in, He can with His nail scarred hands hold back the waters. It is no big thing for God our Savior to destroy the trials that chase us, like Egypt after Israel - the big thing is for us to realize that, perhaps, God led you into this pocket so you could trust Him, know Him, and come to love Him as He loves you.

People have asked me why God seems to be so slow in answering prayer - and God bids me to ask you why are you so slow in trusting, loving, and committing your way unto Him. I am afraid of heights, but if I had to jump out of a plane falling from the sky I would trust the parachute to catch me as I fell, rather than follow the flaming wreck to the ground. We have cried at the Sea, and at the Water, but we have often scoffed at God and resisted a relationship with Him.

Application: If you are in a "Why Me?" situation, why not try this - stop fighting the riptide and look to the Cross. This doesn't mean to ignore God and hope for the best. "Stand by" is not a command rooted in fatalism, a belief that "whatever will be will be, que sera, sera". A lot of people have that attitude, that Doris Day outlook on life. Whatever will be, will be - que sera, sera. What a sad and totally unbiblical outlook. Israel was brought in a place where she could not move unless God intervened. Water on one side, an army screaming for blood on the other side. What will overcome this?

1 John 5:4-5 (NASB) "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. {5} And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

You'll never be an overcomer until you surrender your lives to God. God surrendered Himself for you on the Cross, you must surrender yourself to Him if you want to overcome. Surrender, surrender - that's what Moses said - stand by, surrender, and trust that God in Christ will take you through the waters.

3. See The Salvation Of The Lord

Here's the final point, and a point on which most of us fall short.

" ... see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day
... The LORD shall fight for you ... "

The word "see" is the Qal Imperative of ra’ah {pronounced raw-aw’}, which means not just to look at, but to look at and learn by it. So many times as a pastor I have went to hospital rooms and long term care facilities, prayed for the deliverance of those who stood on the banks of the Red Sea, and have seen God miraculously deliver that life. Just like Israel God took that person to the edge of the water, parted the water, and led them across on dry land. And, just like Israel, that person never learned to love the Lord Jesus, never grew in admiration and care for that Precious Savior.

God brings us all, even nations, to situations where we must trust Him if we are going to be saved. God told Israel to kill lambs without blemish, and put the Blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of their house, lest the death angel come in and wreak havoc. I suppose there were many in Israel who pooh poohed the idea of splashing Blood on their houses. They'd just come home from a hard day in the brick yard. They'd worked all day making bricks with little hay, and they were ready to lay down for the night. Now Moses brings out this idiotic plan of killing and splashing Blood on the house. I'll paint my house another day. That's just too much work.

But the Scripture tells us this with all certainty. The Death Angel came and destroyed all who ignored the Blood of the Lamb. Those who got to the banks of the Red Sea got there by following God's instructions, by trusting Him, by building a relationship with Him, and by leaving Egypt when God told them to leave. They had to repent of Egypt and follow God to the Sea.

Moses told Israel to "look and learn from this as you see God's salvation". Watch God overcome your enemies and save you - for He will - for you are under the Blood.

Isaiah 44:24 (KJV) "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"

Why did God lead Israel to the brink of the Red Sea? He did this to teach Israel that He alone is Savior. He did this to teach Israel that salvation comes only by following Him. As I studied this passage I wondered at the title of the place where Israel was led - the Red Sea - and wondered why it was called "Red Sea". Biblical scholars are constantly debating over why it was called "the Red Sea" - in fact, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states:

"... authorities are much divided as to the reason for this designation. Some have supposed that it was called red from the appearance of the mountains on the western coast, others from the red color given to the water by the presence of zoophytes, or red coral, or some species of seaweed. Others still, with considerable probability, suppose that the name originated in the red or copper color of the inhabitants of the bordering Arabian peninsula ..."

Those are all good reasons for calling it "Red Sea", but I believe it was named as it was named for another reason. Israel was led through this sea by the mighty hand of God, whereas Egypt was drowned in the same sea. God used the Old Testament and Israel much as a master teacher would use a chalkboard and chalk. The Old Testament has so many illustrations, so many shadows, so many prophecies that point to the Cross - and the Blood - of Christ. I believe it was called "Red" Sea as an illustration, as a shadow to show Israel - and us - that it is only by the Blood of Christ that we pass from certain death - Egypt - to life. What God showed Israel by illustration and type in the Old Testament:

Romans 5:9 (KJV) "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

He plainly tells us now in the revelation of the New Testament. Just as Israel had redemption and salvation only by passing through the Red Sea by faith, we can only have redemption and salvation by passing through the Blood to God.

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

The Bible says we have redemption through His Blood.

Application: God has called out a people to Himself through the Blood of His Own Son. Unless you come to God, calling on the name of Jesus, you shall not, no matter how moral you are, ever see Heaven. There is no other name under Heaven whereby we must be saved - only the name of Jesus. And, once you enter the family of God, you are called to walk together in love one toward another under and because of the Blood. I suspect there were some in Israel who did not step out on faith and follow Moses. These died under the hand of Egypt, or under the desert heat. We do know that Egypt died under the crush of the Red Sea. And we do know that, one day, those who are not - by faith - under the Blood of Christ shall go forward to an eternal and terrible judgment. There is coming a day when Jesus shall return to reign on this earth. We who have followed Him by faith and Blood shall rule and reign with Him:

Revelation 19:11-16 (KJV) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. {12} His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. {13} And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. {14} And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. {15} And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. {16} And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Beloved, I pray that you are part of that crowd. Look on Jesus, and commit your heart to Him. If you do not know Him as Savior, believe that He died for you - repent - and come to know Him as Savior.

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!"