Exodus 14
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”” Exodus 14:10-12 NIV
Shortly after God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they were faced with an incredibly difficult trial that required complete faith: They became trapped by the Red Sea as the Egyptian army was rapidly approaching. At this point in time they had not yet developed the type of faith that God requires: the faith to trust in God regardless of what the circumstances look like. If we can develop this type of strong faith in our own lives, we can face our trials with confidence rather than with worry, fear and complaining. Faith is a gift from God. How do we increase our faith? The apostle Paul tells us that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). So continue to read and study your Bible! The deeper your understanding of God’s Word, the stronger your faith will become.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14 NIV
Whenever we are in trouble, we should not give in to fear and despair. We should instead turn to God in prayer, read the Word of God, and trust that He will help us in our situation. This impending battle between the Israelites and the Egyptians is a picture of what spiritual warfare looks like. In spiritual warfare, we are asked to stand firm in our faith: “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground…” (Ephesians 6:10-14, NLT). In addition to putting on the rest of the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:14-17, we need to “pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18). We can win all of our battles by giving them to the Lord through prayer. God’s word promises us that “every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” (1 John 5:4).