Before the Deliverance: When God Answers with Himself by Holly D. Sands

What I refer to as my "life verse" - a scripture that has had particular significance in the course of my walk with Christ - is found  in Psalm 25:3:

"Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed."

David wrote that out of his own confidence that God would come through for him.

 Paul picks up the same idea centuries later in Romans 10:11, quoting Isaiah 28:16: 

"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 

In both Old Testament and New Testament God has the same word to His people. 

"Trust Me, and I will not let you be ashamed."

Sometimes I think we believe that trusting Him means that we won't run into circumstances that have the possibly of taking us out. Surely, the God who loves us would not take us down that road, right? Wrong. You see, sometimes trusting God means walking straight into a season where everything gets worse before it gets better. If you have studied the Bible at all, you will have to recognize that God's people go through terrible trials - trials that have the ability to destroy them - trials that push them to the very edge of despair. 

When Obedience Makes Things Worse

God called Moses to lead His people out of the land of Egypt - out from under the oppression of Pharaoh. Moses didn't want this job and attempted to argue his way out of it.  Finally he went to Pharaoh, exactly like God told him to, and said, "Let My [God's] people go." Pharaoh's answer wasn't no. It was actually worse than no! He accused the Israelites of being lazy, and then he made them gather their own straw for bricks while keeping the same quota (Exodus 5:6-9). The Israelite foremen got beaten for it. They realized they were in deep trouble. The man who God was supposed to help deliver them, only made it worse. And they complained to Moses for their suffering (Exodus 5:20-21).

So Moses did the only thing left to do. He took it straight back to God:

"Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all." - Exodus 5:22-23

As I was reading this today, it struck me that Moses actually said, "Why have you even sent me? You haven't delivered Your people AT ALL." Moses did exactly what God told him to do, and the immediate result was more suffering, not less. Can anyone relate to that? I know I can. 

Sometimes God Doesn't Answer the Complaint - He Answers with Himself

God's response doesn't explain why things had to get harder first. He doesn't even directly address Moses' question. Instead He says, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh" (Exodus 6:1), and then spends the rest of the chapter reminding Moses exactly who He is: 

the LORD, the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ONE who remembers HIS covenant (Exodus 6:2-8).

When Moses brought God a complaint based on circumstances, God answered with His character. Not "here's why this happened," but "here's Who I AM, and here's what I'M about to do." Even then, it wasn't immediate. Nine plagues in on the Egyptians and they still hadn't gone anywhere.

When Pharaoh eventually let the children of Israel go, it was not without consequence. God didn't lead them the easy way. He led them straight into a dead end, camped with the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army closing in behind (Exodus 14:1-9). Can we just pause and think of that for a moment? That's about as pinned in as you can get! If they moved forward, they were sure to drown. If they stayed still, they were going to be murdered. There was no way out. Nothing they could do could alter the situation. I am sure they felt doomed. 

Yet this horrifying and impossible situation was designed specifically for the absolute  glorification of God's delivering power. It would be a deliverance so total, that we would all still be talking about it centuries later! 

What does Moses say in this moment?

"And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still , and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'" - Exodus 14:13-14

We know what happened next. Moses stretched out his rod over the waters, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wing all night and the children of Israel walked across the sea on dry land. Now, here is an interesting fact. Some scholars believe it took them roughly 8-10 hours to cross the sea. 8-10 hours of hoping those sea walls held up. 8-10 hours of the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. 8-10 hours of panic in their hearts. 

BUT GOD.

When the morning came, the Lord looked down at the Egyptian army and took off their chariot wheels! Then he had Moses to stretch out his hand back over the sea and the sea returned to its full depth while the Egyptians were fleeing. It swallowed up the entire army and not so much as one of them remained (Exodus 14:28). 

What Does All This Mean for Us?

God never promises us an easy road when we trust Him. However, He does promise an ending that will not shame us for having trusted Him - even when we are pinned in by impossible and frightening circumstances that scream our doom. 

This is why Psalm 25:3 is my life verse. Not because I've never been afraid, and not because trusting God has kept me from hard seasons. Even as I write this, I am standing at my own version of that shoreline - the impossibility before me, the enemy behind me - and I have nothing I can do but stand still and see what the Lord will do.

He will come through. He always has. Not on my timeline, and not always in the way I expect - but He will come through. He always will. 

If you're in that place right now - pinned in, out of options - go back to His word. Not to your circumstances. The goodness and faithfulness of our God is a solid and unyielding foundation. 

No one who puts their trust in the Lord will ever be put to shame!

About the Author

Holly D. Sands has walked with Christ since 1983. She writes at He Is My Song, sharing encouragement and admonition from Scripture with women pursuing Him more deeply. She lives in South Carolina, where she and her husband, Shane Sands, are members of Poplar Springs Baptist Church. Shane's been called by God as an evangelist and leads United in Christ Jesus ministry. At home, they're joined by their idiot cat, Mister Bojangles, whose main contribution to the household is sleeping and eating treats.