“Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.” – Exodus 14:2-3

There have been many times in my life when I have been working on a project in the house or in the shop and realized, not only have I not made any progress, but I’ve actually gone backwards! Very few things in life are as frustrating as going backwards. Progress is encouraging. Stagnancy is tough. But once you see that you are making the opposite of progress, you can quickly decide the fight is not worth it and simply give up trying to move forward.

There is a strange story in Exodus 14. God delivers Israel from slavery and starts them on the road to the Promised Land. Then, out of nowhere, he tells them to turn around and go back. They must have been thinking, “what in the world is God doing?!” But God had a plan. Pharaoh, and much of Egypt with him, were still refusing to recognize the One True God. So, God was going to demonstrate his power. The way he would do this was by bringing Israel near to Egypt once again and allowing Pharaoh’s arrogance to lead him down the hopeless path of trying to defeat God and thwart his will. Once again, as he always does, God showed himself faithful to his people and demonstrated his power before their enemies. Israel was not really going backwards. They were there to bring glory to God. Remember this story next time you feel like you are going backwards. Even when it seems like we are heading in the opposite direction of where we want to be, God can still use it for his glory. And God’s glory should be the ultimate goal for each one of our lives.

Lord, help us to see beyond our idea of progress and be open to Your plans. Let us not measure our life in terms of our accomplishments but in terms of the glory we bring to You every day and in every situation.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon