9-13-26 “When There Is No Way Forward”
“When There Is No Way Forward”
I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: On the Sunday before Christmas, a pastor was walking down a street on his way to see a parishioner. However, he wanted to post a package urgently so he asked a young boy where he could find the post office.
When the boy had directed him, the pastor thanked him and said, ‘If you’ll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven.’ The boy replied, ‘I think I’ll give your sermon a miss. If you don’t even know your way to the post office, how will you lead me to heaven?’
As I often say, I am map-blind. Without navigation, I can hardly find my way anywhere.
And you know what? When it comes to going to heaven, I need navigation, too! So, what is the best navigation for our journey to heaven? Yes—the Bible. I’m not saying that the Bible simply teaches us the way to heaven. Rather, I would say, “Please read the Bible, so you can find it out.” That’s why we challenged ourselves this year to read through the entire Bible.
If you have already started, please keep going until you finish! And if you haven’t started yet, don’t worry. Please try to begin today, or at least follow the Scripture passages from each Sunday’s sermon. If you do that consistently, you could read through about one-third of the Bible in a year. So, let’s keep reading, keep learning, and keep walking with God!
Here is a question for you: Have you ever been in a situation when you simply did not know what to do? I had one of those moments recently. As I shared last Sunday, I was driving when I hit a deer.
After the accident, I stopped my car and tried to figure out what I should do next. But I quickly realized that I had a problem. There was no cell phone reception. My navigation wasn’t working. And it was getting dark. I was sitting there thinking, “What am I going to do?” I couldn’t call anyone. I couldn’t use my navigation. I couldn’t see very well. And the more I tried to figure everything out, the more I realized that I couldn’t solve this situation by myself. Then my mind just seemed to shut down. I couldn’t think of another solution. The only thing I could do was pray. So, I prayed.
And while I was stopped there, something was happening that I couldn’t see. God was already working. God sent good people to me. Someone stopped and helped me. They helped me contact the police so I could file a report. They stayed with me while I worked through the situation with the police and the insurance company. And when I look back on that night, I realize something: While I was standing there thinking, “I don’t know what to do,” God was already making a way for me. I couldn’t see the way forward. But God could.
And that experience reminds me of the Israelites in today’s Scripture. They were also standing in a place where they could not see a way forward. Imagine what it must have felt like to be one of the Israelites that day.
For generations, they had been slaves. They had lived under Pharaoh’s power. But God heard their cries and delivered them. They had experienced God’s mighty power. They had seen the ten plagues. They had experienced the grace of the Passover. The firstborn of the Egyptians—both people and animals—died, but the Israelites were protected because they put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their houses. They had watched Pharaoh finally let them go.
So, they began their journey. Can you imagine their excitement? They were free! But then Pharaoh changed his mind. He sent his army to follow the Israelites. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, they looked ahead. Water was there. Then they looked behind them. The Pharaoh’s army was coming after them. And suddenly, their excitement turned into fear. Can you imagine that?
They were trapped. There was no road ahead. There was nowhere to go. And the Israelites cried out to Moses. They were saying, “Why did you bring us here? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay in Egypt?” Wow! How could they forget their terrible lives as slaves in Egypt? They totally forgot how God had delivered them from Egypt. Instead, they complained to God and Moses. God had just brought Israel out of Egypt, but now, facing another crisis, they had forgotten God’s faithfulness.
And sometimes, we do the same thing. God has helped us before. So we praised the Lord, sharing testimony how God answered our prayers. But then something new happens, and suddenly we think, “What am I going to do?” “Where is God?” “Is there really a way forward?” We may know the stories of God’s faithfulness, but when we stand at our own Red Sea, those stories can suddenly feel very far away.
But listen to what Moses says to the frightened people: “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today” (Exodus 14:13). What a powerful sentence! Moses doesn’t tell them, “Don’t worry. I know exactly what is going to happen.” He didn’t have the whole plan. Moses was a normal person, just like us. He didn’t know how God would open the sea. But Moses simply knew who God is. He trusted God. That is faith.
Faith doesn’t mean that we know what is going to happen. Faith means that we trust the One who knows what is going to happen. Even strong believers don’t know what will happen in the future or how God will work. But they trust God, knowing that God will be with them no matter what situation they face.
There is something else in this passage that I love. The Israelites are told to stand firm. But then God says something surprising: “Tell the Israelites to go forward.” Wait a minute. There was the Red Sea in front of them. How could God tell them to go forward?
This reminds me of something I once heard about people who are having trouble breathing because they are panicking. Sometimes, instead of rushing immediately to do something, they are first encouraged to stop, calm down, and focus on their breathing. The idea is to slow down, take control of their breathing, and not let panic take over.
Sometimes, when we are afraid, we need to do the same thing spiritually. We need to stop. Breathe. Pray. Listen. Trust. The Israelites were standing at the Red Sea, and they couldn’t see a way forward. They were afraid. They were panicking. But God told them to stand firm. Psalm says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes, when we cannot see the way forward, God first asks us to be still—to stop, breathe, pray, and trust. Then, when God opens the way, God says, “Go forward.”
That is what happened to me that night after my accident. I was trying to figure everything out. But eventually, I couldn’t. The only thing I could do was pray. So, I prayed. And while I was standing there, God was already working. My cell phone was disconnected. My navigation stopped working. It was getting dark. I didn’t even know exactly where I was. I didn’t know what to do. And I realized how much I had depended on machines—my cell phone, navigation, and computer—instead of depending on God.
So, I paused there. I breathed. I prayed. And then I moved forward. And as I moved forward, I met people whom God had sent to help me. Sometimes God answers our prayers not by giving us a miracle that falls from heaven, but by sending ordinary people into our lives.
The Israelites probably couldn’t imagine what God was about to do. All they could see was the sea. But they trusted God, who could make a way even through the sea. We see the obstacle. God sees the possibility. Maybe you are facing your own Red Sea today. Maybe you cannot see the way forward. But remember: “I couldn’t see the way—but God was making a way all along.”
I believe the same can happen in our lives when we trust God—not only as the God of our parents and grandparents, but as our God. So, trust God. Be still. Listen for God’s voice. Let God make a way. And when God opens the way, move forward!
Thanks be to God. Amen.