Introduction

If you’ve ever felt hemmed in—pressure in front of you, problems behind you, and panic rising inside you—you’re in familiar company. The people of God have been there. Red Sea ahead, Pharaoh behind, fear within. And right in the middle of that tight place, God whispered hope. He always does. He has a way of turning dead ends into doorways, cul-de-sacs into corridors, and the midnight hour into a morning of mercy.

Maybe your Red Sea wears a different name: a diagnosis that came with charts and chilling words, a debt that outgrew your budget, a relationship that feels like a knot you can’t untie. You pray, you pace, you wonder. What do you do when there seems to be no good option? When forward looks impossible and backward feels unthinkable? When your strength is spent and your plans are thin?

Hear this promise: God is not perplexed by your predicament. He is present in it. He stands between you and your pursuers. He stands over the waters that look too wide, too wild, too much. He can make a way you have not imagined.

“God shapes the world by prayer.” —E.M. Bounds

Yes, He does. He shapes hearts, homes, and histories when His people call on His name. And He does more than shape; He saves, He shields, He shows the next faithful step. Tonight, as we turn to Scripture, let your heart settle. The same God who guided Moses guides you. The same God who opened a path for Israel opens paths for sons and daughters here and now. He speaks into our fear with gentle authority: Be still. Go forward. Lift what I’ve put in your hand. Trust Me to finish what I start and silence what chases you.

Let’s read the Word that stills the storm in our chest and steels our steps with faith.

Exodus 14:14-28 (KJV)

14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

Friend, this is not just ancient ink on old parchment. This is a living promise from a living God: He fights, He speaks, He parts, He protects, He prevails. He calls us to listen and go forward. He invites us to lift what He has placed in our hand—time, talents, testimony—and obey. He assures us that the waves that look like walls will bow to His word, and the enemies that hunt us will halt at His command.

Let’s pray.

Father, we come to You with full hearts and open hands. You see the seas we face and the fears we carry. Speak, Lord, and steady us. Teach us to listen and go forward at Your word. Show us what You have placed in our hands, and give us grace to use it in obedience. Stretch out Your mighty hand over the waters before us. Make a way where we cannot see one. Stand between us and everything that pursues, and bring an end to what has tormented Your people. Fight for us, and teach us to hold our peace. Fill this room with Your presence, light our night with Your glory, and lead us safely to the other shore. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Listen to the Lord and go forward

God speaks with purpose. His voice is not noise. It carries direction. It gives calm in a loud moment. It gives a clear next step. We do not run ahead of it. We do not drag our feet when it comes. We learn to pause, listen, and then move. This is how faith walks. Ear to God. Foot to the path. One step. Then another.

The heart learns this way in real life. You bring your fear to Him. You quiet down inside. You open the Word. You ask for wisdom. You wait long enough to hear. Then you act on what He says. You do not have to see the whole map. You respond to the light you have. Many of us want full plans. God often gives a simple line. It is enough.

Prayer shapes this posture. Prayer makes room for His voice. Prayer trains us to notice the nudge. To notice the Scripture that stands out. To notice the quiet correction. To notice the courage that rises when He speaks. So we pray first. We listen. We test what we hear by the Word. We keep a humble heart. And when His direction is plain, we do it.

This is not about hype. It is about steady trust. The next step may look small. Make the call. Say you are sorry. Set the boundary. Apply for the job. Lay down the habit. Open your hand. Move your feet. God meets us there. He gives grace to act on what He has said. He adds strength as we move.

This kind of obedience is practical. It uses what is in your reach. God did not ask Moses for a tool he did not have. He pointed to what was already there. That is how it works for us as well. He has placed gifts, time, and words in you. He points to them. He shows how to use them. He turns small acts into large help.

We also learn that timing matters. Sometimes His word comes fast in a crisis. Sometimes it comes in the quiet watch of the night. Either way, His timing is wise. He knows where you stand. He knows what is coming behind you and what is in front of you. His command fits the moment. His presence holds you while you wait, and His command moves you when it is time.

God told Moses to stop crying out and to direct the camp to move. That may sound sharp to us. It was mercy. They had called on God. He answered with a clear step. Lift the staff. Stretch out your hand. Tell the people to walk. This teaches us that prayer and action stand together. We ask, and then we obey. We do not treat prayer as delay when God has already spoken. We do not treat action as self-will when He has made His will plain. The Word gives shape to our next move. The Spirit gives power to make it.

The angel and the pillar changed position. They stood between the people and the threat. The dusk on one side kept the army from getting close. The light on the other side let God’s people see their way. This was more than a sign. It was protection. It was also guidance. God knows how to stand in the gap for you while He also lights your path. When you heed His voice, you are not left exposed. He knows how to cover you while you take the next step. He knows how to slow what is behind you while He opens what is before you. His nearness is a shield and a guide at the same time.

The sea pulled back through the night by a strong wind. The ground dried. The path took shape. The water stood firm on each side. The people walked right through it. There is a lesson here about the way God works. He can move fast. He can also work through the long hours. He can use wind and weather as His tools. He can use means and still do a miracle. So we wait without panic. We watch for the path to appear. We keep our eyes on His word, not on the waves. And when the path is clear, we step on the dry ground He has made.

The army gave chase into the path. God looked on them. He threw them into disorder. Their wheels came off. Their strength failed. Then the waters returned at His command. The threat that felt endless came to an end. Here we see the fruit of obedience. When God tells you to act, He also takes care of what hunts you. He is not short on power. He is not late. He knows how to finish what He starts. Our part is to heed His voice and walk in the way He opens. His part is to deal with the weight we cannot carry and the foes we cannot face.

Use what is in your hand in obedience

Then came the charge in Exodus 14:16 ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO