When you're stuck between Egypt and "the Rea Sea" 

Have you ever found yourself in one of those moments where you think, “There’s no way out of this one”? You can’t go back — but you don’t see how to move forward either.

It’s like that awful feeling when your sat-nav leads you down a narrow country lane, and suddenly the road just stops. You look behind you — a tractor’s coming. You look ahead — there’s a ditch. You’re boxed in.

That’s pretty much where the Israelites found themselves in Exodus 14. Behind them, Pharaoh’s army was closing in fast. In front of them — the Red Sea. And in between, a whole lot of fear and confusion.

Stuck and Scared

They had just escaped slavery — they were finally free! But freedom can feel frightening when you don’t yet know the way ahead. As soon as the Egyptians started chasing, they panicked.

They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die? We were better off in Egypt!”

It’s strange how fear can make even the past look appealing. We do the same, don’t we? When life gets uncertain, we look back at what’s familiar — even if it wasn’t good for us.

“Maybe I should have stayed where I was,” we think. “At least I knew how to handle that.”

Fear has a way of making the past look safe and the future look impossible.

Half Praying, Half Panicking

The Israelites cried out to God — but moments later, they started blaming Moses. They were half praying, half panicking — a mixture of “Lord, help me!” and “Whose idea was this anyway?!”

Moses answered with one of the most beautiful lines in Scripture:

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (v.14)

When everything in us wants to run or fix things ourselves, God says, “Be still.” Watch what I can do.

It reminds me of another story — another storm — in Mark 4. The disciples are in a boat when a violent storm hits. Waves crash, fear rises, and they shout, “Jesus, don’t you care if we drown?”

Sound familiar? Different sea, same fear.

Jesus wakes up, speaks to the wind and waves, and says, “Quiet. Be still.” And suddenly, calm.

Two seas. Two storms. Same God.

Whether it’s the Red Sea or the Sea of Galilee — He’s still the One who speaks peace into chaos.

Be Still — and Move On

Back to Exodus. After Moses says, “Be still,” God replies,

“Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” (v.15)

It sounds like a contradiction — but it’s not. First, be still inside. Then, move forward in faith.

Faith doesn’t wait for full visibility. It steps out before the water parts. Like driving through fog, you don’t need to see the whole road — just the next few metres.

God Makes a Way

Moses raises his staff. The sea parts. Walls of water on either side. Dry ground beneath their feet.

God doesn’t remove the problem — He transforms it into a path.

That’s who He is. The God who turns obstacles into opportunities, fear into faith, and chaos into a corridor.

There’s an old story about a farmer’s donkey that fell into a well. The farmer, thinking there was no hope, began to shovel dirt in to bury it. But each time the dirt hit the donkey’s back, it shook it off and stepped up. Eventually, step by step, it climbed out of the well.

The very thing that was meant to bury it became the thing that lifted it.

That’s the Red Sea story too. The sea that looked like the end became the way through.

Sing on the Shore

When the Israelites reached the other side, they didn’t rush on — they stopped and sang.

“Then Moses and the Israelites sang to the Lord.” (Exodus 15:1)

Because when you’ve walked through what should have drowned you, you sing.

Some of us have been through our own “Red Seas” — the season that nearly broke you, the diagnosis that terrified you, the loss that hollowed you out.

But you’re still here. Still breathing. Still walking. That’s grace.

Gratitude turns panic into peace and fear into faith. When you pause and say, “God, thank You — You brought me through,” something changes in you.

The Israelites’ song wasn’t a performance. It was relief. It was gratitude.

So maybe that’s the invitation for you today:

Don’t just survive it — sing about it.

The God who got you through the sea deserves to be praised on the shore.

Reflection

Where do you feel “stuck between Egypt and the sea”?

Could it be that God is about to make a way — right where you see none?

3 Actions You Can Take This Week

• Be Still — for Real - Each day this week, take a quiet moment to stop and breathe. Whisper the words, “The Lord will fight for me.”Let that truth settle deeper than your worry.
• Step Forward in Faith - Identify one small step you can take — even if you can’t see how it will all work out. Make the phone call. Start the prayer. Move toward trust.
• Sing Your Gratitude - Write down one thing God has brought you through — and thank Him out loud for it. You might even sing about it (no one else has to hear!).

This article is adapted from the message preached by Phil Hibbert on 2 November 25. You can view the whole service on our YouTube page.