I'll bet that if you thought long enough,
you could think of a time in your life when
you were in a seemingly impossible situation.
That was certainly the case for the people
in our "Do not be afraid" passage today.
The Israelites found themselves trapped between
the Red Sea on one side
and Pharaoh's army on the other side.
Well, now how did they get there?
Well, the Egyptians had enslaved God's people
and so God sent Moses to the Pharaoh of Egypt
with a very simple message.
"Let my people go."
Pharaoh didn't want to get rid of his free workforce
and so he refused.
And so God flexed his muscles with the Ten Plagues.
Finally, Pharaoh said, "Just go!"
But no sooner had they left
then Pharaoh realized
he was losing his free workforce.
And so he sent the army of Egypt,
world power of the day,
against the defenseless Israelites.
And so now, there's Israel.
Israel, with their women and children and all,
have an unpassable sea on one side
and an unconquerable army on the other side.
God had promised to get them into the Promised Land.
But, humanly speaking, I would say that's about as close
to an impossible situation
as you can possibly get to.
So what was the Israelites' reaction?
That's the key.
They cried out in despair to God because they didn't see a way out.
And that's a temptation for us too.
In our impossible situations in life when we don't see a way out.
It's so easy to trust God when we see the blessings.
But when we see the Red Sea of struggles
standing between us and the Promised Land,
that's a different story.
And that's when we really need to think about
one fact.
Who is it that sent Moses to say to the Israelites,
It's the Lord, that's all.
The Lord who created the universe and sustains it.
The Lord who was powerful enough to wipe out the world
with a worldwide flood.
The Lord who gave life to Abraham's wife's
dead womb in Sarah
and brought about Isaac.
The Lord whose power made that one child into a great nation.
The Lord whose power rescued that great nation
from the hands of the Egyptians with ten plagues.
The Lord who shaped all of world history to bring about
the fulfillment of his promise
to send his Son, Jesus,
to be the Savior of the world.
To be your Savior and mine.
Now, doesn't that put our impossible situations in perspective?
What situation is too impossible for God?
No, when the impossible meets God and his promises,
then we need to hear God say,
"Do not be afraid.
The Lord will fight for you.
You need only be still."
Are you worried about
your forgiveness or your ability to forgive?
You need only be still.
Just look at the cross and see your Lord fight to the death for you.
Are you worried about,
about the things that rob us of life?
Like sickness and accidents?
You need only be still.
Just look at the empty tomb
and watch your Lord defeat death.
Are you worried about having enough?
You need only be still.
And see your Savior's
ascended hand raised in blessing over you.
In all those ways, you'll hear your Savior, God, say to you,
"Do not be afraid.
You need only be still."
When the impossible in your life meets God's promises.
As one who stands on the other side of the Red Sea.
As one who stands on the other side of Jesus' cross and empty tomb.
Know that the Lord will fight for you.
You need only be still.
Let's pray.
Dear Jesus, give me confidence
that nothing is impossible with you.
Calm my heart at all times,
assuring me that I do not need to be afraid.
Amen.