Exodus 14:19-31
Your Story
Talk about a time in your life when what you felt like God was telling you to do seemed impossible. How did God help you through?
My Story and the Bible Story
Looking back and seeing God’s fingerprints in your life is a lot easier than seeing them in the moment. There are times in my life when things seemed impossible. When I was upset and hurting in the 6th grade when our church fell apart, it seemed impossible that I would ever be happy again. But God made a way at a new church. When I was an accounting major and my campus minister mentioned children’s ministry, that seemed impossible. Who would switch from accounting to children’s ministry? And how could I do it well? And yet, God made a way and here I am, loving my job as a Children’s Minister. There are times in our lives when things seem impossible. But nothing is impossible with God.
Read Exodus 14:19-31. From the NIV: Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divide, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
Moses and the Israelites were in a tough spot. The Egyptian army was behind them, getting closer and closer. And in front of them stood the Red Sea. They had nowhere else to go. But then, the angel of God and the pillar of cloud moved behind them. They kept the Egyptians from seeing the people. And then something amazing happened: the Red Sea parted! The people were able to walk across on dry land. But when the Egyptians saw what they were doing, they started crossing as well. After the last Israelite crossed, Moses stretched out his hand and the Lord sent the sea flowing back into place. The Lord protected the Israelites when it seemed like all was lost. God did something impossible, and saved the Israelites.
In our lives, there are times when things seem impossible. There are times when we struggle to trust God because we think “there’s no way God can do this.” And yet, God saved the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God gave Jesus the power to perform miracle after miracle. God raised Jesus from the dead. What is impossible for us isn’t impossible for God. When it seems like God wants you to do something but it seems impossible, remember that God can do the impossible. Trust God that if God wants you to do something, God will make it possible for that to happen. God always finds a way!
Discussion
• Is there something you feel like God is asking you to do that seems impossible?
• Has there been a time in your life when things seemed impossible and God came through for you? Talk about that time.
• As a family, talk about how we can trust God because God is always there for us, never lets us down, and always finds a way.
Prayer
Ask God to help you trust God when things seem impossible. Ask God to help you find a way to do what God wants you to do.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
