10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.
This is a perfect spot for anyone of us. The Israelites realize that they don’t have the resources to accomplish the task. They are not an army. They don’t have fighting skills. They have never been trained in offensive or defensive battle tactics. They don’t have weapons. Their women and children are with them. They have all their belongings. They are weighed down with the gold and silver of Egypt. They have all their possessions. They have their livestock. And they look up and see Pharaoh’s best soldiers in Pharaoh’s best chariots coming toward them. They don’t stand a chance. Even though they outnumber the Egyptian soldiers, there is no way they could survive an attack. Chariots were the Apache helicopter of that day. They could strike hard and fast, penetrating deep behind enemy lines. And about all the Israelites could do was throw candlesticks at them. Their horses were covered in armor. The chariots had anti-pedestrian weapons attached to the wheels that would chop up a person in a moment. So what do the Israelites do? They do what we all should be doing. They cry out to the Lord. They call out in desperation. If only we would realize how desperately we need the Lord. When we do come to realize that, it is liberating. We don’t have to face life’s struggles alone and with our limited resources. The Lord is with us and He has all the resources we need to make it through. That does not mean we will always triumph in every battle, because not every battle is to be won. Some battles are battles of our choosing rather than God’s. We get in the fight out of selfish pride or disobedient wandering. God will be with us in the battle, but He might allow a defeat in order to get us to fully surrender. Defeats are defeating only if we are out of sync with the Lord.
The Arnold Journey 