He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap. (Psalm 78:13)
There is an old song that says, “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.” I can think of no greater example of this truth than what is addressed by the psalmist — when God split the sea and provided a dry path for millions of His people to escape Pharaoh’s wrath. That is fascinating in and of itself but consider just what a sight it must have been to watch as the mighty waters stood up and towered into the sky. As the Scripture says, “With the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; the floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea” (Exodus 15:8).
The Hebrew word translated as “congealed” means “to make firm,” and so it is presumed that the standing waters either appeared as ice or gelatinous. Either way the point is “the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exodus 14:22). Couple this with the fact that they were led to the sea by traveling through a wadi (a deep ravine) when God instructed them to “Turn” (Exodus 14:2). That would mean steep cliffs would have been on their right and left, forcing them to continue moving forward. In other words their path was chosen for them whereby they could not turn to the left or right — the way to life was straight ahead.
Scripture makes it abundantly clear that the Kingdom of Heaven is not designed to contract but to expand — to advance and move forward. It is equally clear that our tendency to withdraw, retreat and return to what is familiar even if it isn’t good for us. Perhaps that is why God must, at times, place us in situations where our options boil down to a choice between life and death — there is no third option. Moreover, when we choose the path that leads to life, we must remember that it is straight and narrow (which also means troublesome) thus requiring us to trust God and not our own understanding. If He places us in a situation where there is no other place to turn, I would suggest we are exactly where He wants us and that means, in position to witness an incredible miracle. In other words, He is likely making a way when there seemed to be no way.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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