When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. —Exodus 14:10
I don’t like it when hard things happen. I’d prefer everything to be easy all the time. But then I wouldn’t rely on God, I’d rely on me. And I’d miss the greatest opportunity ever presented to the human soul—the gift of knowing God. This is why, in mercy and grace, God allows hard things and why, sometimes, He even creates them.
It was God who led the Israelites to the Red Sea. It was God who hemmed them in and caused the Egyptians to march after them. Why? So the Israelites would cry out to God, and experience His power and love and sovereignty in a new way.
It is God alone who parts the waters and moves the mountains and brings revival. It’s God alone who holds this world in his hand. He is an amazing God who hears and knows and answers our prayers. But until we’re faced with a situation we can’t handle on our own, we may never know how great our God really is.
So perhaps today, just like the Israelites, God has brought us to a desperate place that we might cry out to Him and experience His power, love, and sovereignty in a new way. We may be living in distressing times, but we don’t have a distressed God. We have a sovereign God who still hears the cries of His people and answers when they call.
There is no greater gift than knowing the Lord and no better way to experience that gift than to find ourselves with no other option but to cry out to Him.
What to Pray
- Pray for women, first and foremost, to turn to God during times of need. Pray that God would open the eyes of your heart to see all the ways He is already working.
- Pray for God to reveal Himself to you in new ways as you cry out to Him. Pray that you would trust Him while you wait.
How to Pray
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1–3)
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