“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.'” Exodus 14:13
There they were, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, so to speak. Pharaoh’s army was chasing them and the Red Sea blocked their escape — no place to run, no place to hide. And everything they loved and all they owned was with them — they had everything to lose.
It looked bad, but it was a set-up for God to be glorified.
You know the story: Just at the last moment, God parted the Red Sea and the Children of Israel walked across on dry land. Then, as Pharaoh and his army tried to follow them, God released the sea and all the Egyptian army was drowned in the crashing waters. God not only rescued His people but He also destroyed their enemy. It was a set-up for the glory of God!
More information on modern exploration of the Red Sea, what we today know as the Sea of Aqaba, can be seen at this websitehttp://www.discoverynews.us/DISCOVERY%20MUSEUM/BibleLandsDisplay/Red_Sea_Chariot_Wheels/Red_Sea_Chariot_Wheels_1.html
The circumstances of life, daunting for us in the moment, are often divine set-ups for His glory to be manifested. Like the Children of Israel, we are, each of us, in the middle of a story written by God. We cannot see the end yet, but God has told us that He has arranged our lives to bring glory to Himself.
It is so easy to lose faith in the middle of the story. When all we can see is the painful details of the set-up, we are tempted become angry at God and discouraged. We forget the promise and fall into fear, just like the Israelites.
God is honored and glorified in His supernatural rescues. As Christians we know the truth of that statement, and most of us have experienced a rescue or two! God is exalted when, against all odds and when all of our attempts to rescue ourselves have failed, God saves us. But we sometimes forget that in order for there to be a supernatural rescue, there must be a catastrophe! God is glorified when we receive His offered grace to persevere in faith as we wait for His rescue.
Our ultimate, bottom-line purpose is to glorify God in our lives here on earth. God is the One Who chooses and sets up the circumstances that will honor Him. Our part is to keep our eyes on Him and follow Him through to the end, trusting Him and obeying His every command.
Sometimes God’s set-ups are for a quick and dramatic resolution, like with the Children of Israel at the Red Sea. Other times they are more long term, as when a baby is born with permanent disabilities or when unrelenting illness strikes. But these persistent circumstances are also set-ups for God’s glory, worked out in the lives of everyone in the family. Whether it comes in healing or in grace to endure, God’s presence and intervention is powerful and personal and testifies to His faithfulness and love. No matter the circumstances of our lives, the prayer on our lips must be, “Let my life bring glory to Your name!”
Whatever the storm, we are covered by His grace and our lives are always a set-up for His glory. Remember: God gets glory from giving us grace.