A dead end hope

“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.” Exodus 14.13

From David King

What do you do when you find yourself cornered? What do you do when you can’t see a way out? What do you do when you don’t understand why God hasn’t rescued you yet? What do you do when you feel that your strength is giving out?

There are lots of times in our walk with the Lord when things are hard, but there are some times when we feel that they are hopeless.

That’s where God’s people found themselves after the triumphant exodus from Egypt. By chapter 14 they find themselves hemmed in against the expanse of the Sea, with the Egyptian army thundering down on them. There is nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. And the worst part of it all, was that God had led them there. They were facing a dead end – literally.

Why does God do this? Why does he lead us to places where it feels like all hope has fled? I’m not going to try to give an answer to that question now (though if you are interested a part of the answer can be found in 2 Cor 1.8-11.)

Today, I just want us to note that feeling like we are at a dead end, with nowhere to go, is a common experience of God’s people and that it leads to salvation. Look at Joseph. Between being sold into slavery and finally being set free, he endured 13 years of waiting for God to fulfil his promises to him.

13 years.

What were you doing 13 years ago? Think of all that has happened to you in that time. I wonder what his prayer support group were doing after the first 10 years had passed – do you think they had given up? In that time, Joseph’s journey involved false dawns followed by betrayals, slander and broken promises. We often lose sight of the length of the timescales of the suffering of God’s people. Why do we think something is wrong when our struggles have lasted a few years with no relief.

If you are going through a difficult time, I can’t promise that God will deliver you soon. I can’t promise that things won’t get worse. I can’t promise that God won’t lead you down a dead end.

But the certain message of the experience of God’s people is that every time, his eventual rescue is certain and it will be spectacular. For Joseph, it came through the Lord disturbing the sleep of a Pharaoh.

For the Israelites it was a different salvation. As they sat at their dead end, with their hopes of freedom in tatters, they saw Moses raise his staff, as the Lord had commanded, and felt the freshening breeze of the Spirit. So there’s only one thing for you to do:

Stand Firm.