When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, He put them between a rock and a
hard place. Actually, it was a sea and the Egyptian army. This was a deliberate
decision by the Lord (Ex. 13:17-18). There were other ways they could have
gone, but God ordered their departure so that the Egyptians would be drawn out
of their territory and destroyed at the sea (14:1-4). The Lord ordained this
crisis to manifest His glory and power in the deliverance of His people
(14:13-18, 30-31), but He literally snatched them from the jaws of death and
defeat.
This story came to mind
as I ruminated on a ministerial concern last night, and it occurred to me this
is a recurring and consistent pattern in Scripture. Water only came from the rock
when the people had run out of it. Manna fell from heaven only when there were
no other options for food. The Lord raised up judges only after Israel’s
enemies came in to pillage and plunder. Israel’s kings won victories only after
being attacked by great armies. The Messiah came only after the covenant nation
was sent into exile and returned limping, without her former glory, and in bondage
to the Roman authorities.
The Lord delivers His
people from danger and destruction,
in the midst of crisis. He may spare
us from many potential dangers (Matt. 6:13), but we rarely if ever know about
any of those. He does not promise to keep us from danger. He never promises evil will not overtake us. He does
promise evil will not overcome us and
that He will never abandon us in the midst of it (Rom. 8:28-39; 1Cor. 10:13; Heb.
13:5-6).
When does God rescue
His people? In His own time, and usually just in the nick of time. He orders
our lives for His glory, not for our comfort, peace, or enjoyment. God is most visibly a great Savior when He accomplishes a great
salvation. His power to deliver His people from evil and danger is most evident
when the danger is greatest, when the crisis is at its climax. We should not be
surprised to find ourselves teetering on the brink of total destruction. Be
assured God has a purpose and plan. His power is great. His promises are sure.
His purpose will not fail. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. –JME
