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Seeing beyond what we can see!


The people of Israel on the way to the promised land was caught literally between the Devil and the deep-sea. When they discovered that they were facing the Red Sea, they were convinced that there is no way beyond the lashing waves—the path ended in the sea. Then when they turned back, the dust being raised by the army of the Pharaoh fast approaching. They were sure that their end has come. So, they complained to Moses, “Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:12, ESV).

We know the rest of the story that they did not perish by the sword of the Pharaoh, neither did they drown in the Read Sea. They made it across, but the army that pursued them perished in the sea. But why did they whine? What frightened them?

What terrified them is certainly what they saw—the army behind, and the sea in front. However, if they were capable of perceiving realities beyond what they could see, they would have dealt with the situation more courageously.

They failed to perceive two realities. The first is that God is with them. That was the immediate reality. The army of the Pharaoh is far behind, though they are fast approaching. The God who has led them out of the land of slavery with ‘a mighty hand and an outstretched arm’ hasn’t abandoned them, he is right with them, beside them. The reality that is far off scared them because they ignore the ‘present-help’ that was nearby.

Overlooking what is close by is very much part of human nature. That is why the airhostess making safety procedures has to remind us that “the nearest exit my be just behind you.” In an emergency we may head for the exit far ahead in the front ignoring the exit which is just one row behind us. We fail to realize that God is close to us in every circumstance than our adversaries are.

They failed in another aspect also. They failed to see that there is a land beyond the formidable watery chaos staring at them. God hasn’t delivered them out of the Egypt to lead them into the sea but to take them to a land that is beyond the sea. He is leading them to a land that God promised repeatedly to their forefathers. The sea just happens to be on the way. The failure to perceive this promise beyond the immediate threat is another reason why they thought that their end has come.

We need to realize that God is with us in all circumstances. We need to assure ourselves as Elisha assured his scared servant that “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Realizing God’s fuller purpose for our life is the sure way of combating fear that cripples us. God’s plan for us doesn’t end with the immediate circumstances that we face at the moment. He will not bring anything to an end unless he fulfill his promises in our life and his plans are completed they way want them to be.

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