When God Leads Us Into the Impossible

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 Exodus 13:17–22 (ESV)

“God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near… For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’ But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea… And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud… and by night in a pillar of fire…”

God knows His people are afraid. Their faith is real — but young. They have seen miracles, but they have not yet learned to trust themselves with those miracles. God does not lead them by the shortest route, or the most logical one, or even the safest-looking one. He leads them by the kindest route — the one their faith can survive.

God knows that if they face giants too soon, they will turn back. Not because God cannot defeat the enemy, but because fear will convince them that slavery is safer than freedom. So He leads them into a place that looks absurd: trapped between the sea and the army. No escape. No strategy. No illusion of control.

From the outside, it looks like a mistake. Pharaoh even thinks so. He assumes God has lost control, that Israel is confused, vulnerable, and easy to reclaim. But God has not misled His people — He has positioned them.

When fear closes in, God does not rush. He places Himself between Israel and Egypt. The pillar moves. Light stands guard. Darkness blocks the enemy. Before God opens the sea, He protects His people in the impossible place.

Only then does God say, in effect, “Stand still and watch what I will do.”

The sea parts — not because Israel is strong, but because God is faithful. On one side of the water, Egypt still has a claim. On the other side, that claim is gone forever. In that sense, yes — this is a baptism. A crossing from bondage to freedom. From fear to trust. From being pursued to being delivered.

This passage speaks directly to the moments when we feel trapped — when the path forward is blocked and the past is chasing us. God does not always lead us around the impossible. Sometimes He leads us into it, because that is the only place where we stop trying to save ourselves and finally see who He is.

God does not abandon us in those places. He stands between us and what threatens us. He makes a way where there is no way. And He does not ask us to understand the route — only to follow Him through it.

This story invites a simple, courageous prayer: God, give me sight to see where You are delivering me — even now.

Prayer

God,
When I am frightened and my faith feels small,
thank You for leading me gently, not harshly.
When I feel trapped between what I fear and what I cannot cross,
help me trust that You have not made a mistake.

Give me eyes to see Your protection,
even before You open the sea.
Teach me to stand still when fear tells me to run,
and to trust that You are making a way
where I see none.

Part the seas in my life, God —
and give me the faith to walk forward
when You do.
Amen.

Comments

  1. Gamma SusieFebruary 8, 2026 at 9:54 AM

    This is definitely a time when God must teach them to trust. If they don't, they cannot move into the promised land and meet the foe there to conquer the land. Much like our own spiritual journey.

    ReplyDelete

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