Have you ever looked at your circumstances and wondered, “How in the world did I end up here?”
You tried to follow God. You prayed about the decision. You did the best you knew to do. Yet somehow you ended up in a place you never expected and certainly would not have chosen.
That is exactly what happened to the Israelites at the Red Sea.
They had finally escaped Egypt after generations of slavery. God was leading them toward the Promised Land. You might expect the road God chose to be relatively direct. Instead, God led them into what looked like a cul-de-sac. The Red Sea was in front of them, the wilderness surrounded them, and Pharaoh’s army was coming from behind.
Here is the surprising part: they were exactly where God had led them.
That is the first principle in Robert J. Morgan’s The Red Sea Rules and the first lesson in my new question-based Bible study based on the book:
Realize that God means for you to be where you are.
Sometimes God Leads Us the Long Way
Exodus tells us that God deliberately did not lead Israel by the shortest route.
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter” (Exodus 13:17 NIV).
There was a shorter road to the Promised Land. God didn’t take it.
Why?
God knew something the Israelites didn’t know. The shorter road would take them into conflict with the Philistines, and they weren’t ready for that battle. God knew what His people could handle. What looked like a detour was actually God’s protection. The study points out that the shortest route was not necessarily the best route; God knew His people needed the long way home.
We often judge God’s guidance by how quickly it gets us where we want to go. God has a different standard. He is interested not only in getting us somewhere. He is interested in who we become along the way.
Sometimes the long road is the right road.
Following God Doesn’t Guarantee Easy Circumstances
There is an assumption many Christians carry around without ever saying it aloud: If I am following God, things should work out.
The job should come through. The relationship should improve. The church should grow. The medical report should be encouraging. The money should be there when we need it. The door should open.
Then a door slams shut, and we immediately wonder whether we missed God.
Maybe.
But not necessarily.
The Israelites had not wandered away from God’s will when they arrived at the Red Sea. They were there because they had followed God’s direction. The study makes the point plainly: sometimes the Lord leads His people into situations that look like dead ends, where they have an opportunity to discover His power and His control.
That means difficult circumstances are not necessarily evidence that you are outside God’s will.
Sometimes they are exactly where obedience takes you.
God Sees What You Cannot See
Imagine being an Israelite that day.
You can see the sea.
You can see the mountains.
You turn around and see dust rising in the distance. Before long you can make out Pharaoh’s horses and chariots. The Egyptian army is coming.
What you cannot see is a road.
There isn’t one.
At least, not yet.
This is where our perspective differs so radically from God’s. We look at what exists right now and calculate our possibilities from what we can see. God sees possibilities that do not yet exist.
Israel saw water. God saw a highway.
Israel saw Pharaoh. God saw a defeated army.
Israel saw a dead end. God saw the setting for one of the greatest miracles in biblical history.
The problem was not that Israel misunderstood its circumstances. The circumstances really were impossible. The problem was that they evaluated those circumstances without adequately accounting for God.
We do the same thing.
We calculate the money, study the medical report, examine the possibilities, consider everyone’s opinions, and stare at the closed doors. All of that may be wise. But there is one more factor in the equation.
God.
What If You Are Right Where God Wants You?
That is a challenging thought.
Obviously, some painful situations are of our own making. Bad decisions have consequences. Sin can lead us into places God never intended us to go, and when that happens, the appropriate response is repentance.
But not every difficult place is evidence of a wrong turn.
The first lesson of Red Sea Rules asks us to consider another possibility: What if God has something to do in this place?
Perhaps instead of only asking, “God, how do I get out of here?” we should sometimes ask, “God, what do You want to do in me while I am here?”
That question changes things.
The study concludes this lesson by pointing out that God’s direction isn’t merely about our next big move. We are somewhere right now, and God has purposes for us where we are. Instead of being consumed with what comes next, we can begin asking what faithfulness looks like today.
You may be staring at a Red Sea today. You don’t know how the problem will be solved. You don’t know when circumstances will change. You don’t know what God is doing.
But you can know this: God has not lost control.
The God who led Israel to the edge of the Red Sea was already there when they arrived. And before they ever saw a path through the water, God knew exactly how He was going to get them to the other side.
Study Red Sea Rules With Your Group
This article is based on the first lesson in my new Red Sea Rules: A Question-Based Bible Study Guide, a 10-session study based on Robert J. Morgan’s The Red Sea Rules and the story of Exodus 14–15.
The study is designed around the philosophy that Good Questions Have Groups Talking. Each session includes Bible study, discussion questions, insights from respected Christian teachers, and practical applications designed to help your group connect God’s Word with real life.
Red Sea Rules is available now on Amazon.
You can also learn more about the study and get it through Good Questions Have Groups Talking:
Next in this series: When Life Hurts, Ask a Better Question: How Can God Be Glorified in This?
