Do you have a situation?
Exodus 14: 8-10, 13-14
8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.
9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
10 ¶ And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
It seems ole Moses and the children of Israel have a situation!
A situation that certainly wasn’t anticipated!
When they left Egypt everything was going good. One could say they got off to a good start.
They were loaded with provisions and the hand of God was with them.
They were on their way to the Promised Land and they weren’t looking back!
The bible says there was not a feeble one among them. God gave them supernatural strength to make the journey.
It sure looked like smooth sailing with just a few days before they would step their feet onto that Land of Promise.
But then they came to the great Red Sea!
They certainly didn’t expect any obstacles along the way!
But here they were facing a situation!
The Red Sea was in front of them! Blocking their progress!
The wilderness was on both sides of them.
And now Pharaoh’s army was bearing down on them from behind!
They were sitting ducks with no where to go! They certainly had a situation!
Now, just for my own curiosity I looked up the word “situation” in the dictionary, and sure enough, I found something very interesting.
The word means, “A combination of circumstances at a given time.”
Ole Moses sure had a combination of circumstances!
Another meaning is, “A condition or position in which you find yourself.”
Moses sure found himself in a frightening position!
Another meaning is, “A complex or critical or unusual difficulty.”
I would be willing to say Moses was in a complex, critical and unusual situation!
And the people were scared out of their wits! They cried out to God!
What are we going to do? We’re going to be liquidated right here on the spot! Would to God we had stayed in Egypt and all of this would have never happened!
But Moses said, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
We may be in a situation here! We may have a complex difficulty!
This may look critical!
But the same God that led us out of Egypt is the same God over our present situation!
No situation is too complex for God! No difficulty is too hard for God! No predicament is too complicated for God!
God took this situation and turned it into an opportunity for the people of Israel to experience the delivering power of God!
Do you have a situation this morning? Are you facing extreme difficulty! Are the odds stacked against you?
Have you found yourself in a set of complex circumstances and you can see no way out!
“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.”
For God will make a way for you!
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
I was thinking about three ole Hebrew boys named Sharrach, Meshach, and Abindego!
They had a situation! Either bow down and worship the image the King had set up or be thrown into a red hot fiery furnace!
Now that was a set of circumstances!!! They had a situation on their hands!
To the normal person that would not have been a problem!
“Man, I’m not gonna burn, I’ll bow down to the idol.”
But to Shadrach, Meshach and Abindego, bowing down to that image meant betrayal to their God!
They could not do that! They were serving a living God, not some dumb idol.
They were in a situation here! But they knew what they must do.
But, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
We all know how this story turns out! They were thrown into the fiery furnace! But something unusual happened!
They didn’t burn! They didn’t even get scorched!
Again, God turned a situation into an opportunity to see the saving power of God!
Praise God! Are you facing a situation? Except your situation is facing some fiery trial or tribulation!
You didn’t ask to be placed in this situation, but you found yourself there!
You are facing circumstances beyond your control.
Maybe your situation is some affliction that is trying your faith.
Adversity has knocked on your door and there is no place for you to hide.
Oh, but listen!
1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
You see, God desires to take your situation and cause it to be found unto praise and honor and glory!
Ole Daniel got himself into a situation, didn’t he?
He didn’t do anything wrong! He was dedicated with his prayer life. He had dedicated himself to serving God.
Yet there he stood facing a whole room full of hungry lions!
But God turned his situation into a victory!
David had a situation. He found himself in an unusual predicament facing down a giant Philistine loaded down with body armor. (Probably body odor too!)
But God turned his situation into a victory for the Israelites that day!
The disciples found themselves in a complex set of circumstances one time.
Their situation was complex and critical, to say the least! A furious storm was threatening their lives. Out in the sea with boisterous waves beating against their vessel; the wind was violent and turbulent!
It sure looked as though they would surely sink to the bottom!
Their set of circumstances seemed hopeless! But Jesus turned their situation into deliverance!
For He came to their rescue, walking upon the surface of the sea!
He spoke the word, and the winds and waves became calm! Praise God!
Have you ever been threatened by the winds of diverse circumstances in your life?
Your situation was as hopeless as the condition of those disciples in that little ship; you thought all hope was gone, and you were going under.
Oh, but my friend when you cry out to God in faith and trust He will coming walking on the top of those circumstances.
He will use your complex and critical situation to show you His power to save and deliver.
Paul and Silas found themselves in a situation. They had been preaching the gospel. They were doing what Jesus had commanded them to do.
Yet they found themselves in jail! They had been beaten with a whip! They were cold, miserable, and in agonizing, excruciating pain.
They didn’t have to be there! No one had forced them to follow Jesus! They could have remained in Judaism and been safe from religious persecution.
But here they sit in a cold, dark prison, their backs bleeding, and their hands and feet bound with shackles.
Their situation was critical. Their situation was not fair. Their situation was uncalled for. But what did they do?
They began singing at midnight!
No they didn’t sing “Gloom, despair and agony on me. Deep dark depression, excessive misery; if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all; gloom, despair and agony one me.”
No! They began singing a song of praise! Even though they were bound, their situation looked grim; they sang a song of praise!
Oh, Listen;
Ps 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Ps 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Ps 69:30 ¶ I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
At midnight they began praising God in the midst of their situation!
The other prisoners heard them! They sang aloud! They ignored their situation and began to give God praise.
What is your extreme situation? What are your complex circumstances? What are your critical difficulties?
There is an old song that simply says; (sing)
“Got any rivers, you think are un-crossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specializes in things thought impossible
He can do what no other power can do.”
Some of you this morning may be in a situation that seems hopeless.
You may have already resigned yourself to defeat!
But my friend the word defeat should not be in your vocabulary!
Whatever your situation, God has the answer! He knows the way out! He knows the way through! He has the solution!
Do you have a situation this morning? God is greater than your situation! He is bigger than your circumstances.
You may be here this morning with a situation you don’t know how to handle.
You may feel you are going under for the last time.
But God still specializes in solutions for situations!
Situations come in all sizes! We find ourselves in situations we have caused ourselves. We are sometimes drawn into situations by others.
And then sometimes life just hurls one tough situation after another into our pathway.
1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
(KJV)
Through Jesus Christ you can take control of your situation.
