God fought for Israel

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. - - Exodus 14.22-25

There is no way a nation of slaves on the run could possibly, in any way, defeat one of the most powerful armies on the face of the earth. God’s people have always been outmanned, outgunned, and outnumbered.

How then has the church survived for more than 2000 years?

We have to go back way before the church. We have to go back to the nation of Israel – God’s people. God fought for His people. In the Old Testament God often did this by defeating nations who were a threat. Today, though, God fights our spiritual battles for us.

Imagine what would have happened if a few Israelites had taken things into their own hands and come up with a battle plan. Imagine they had launched their plans against Pharaoh’s army. I can’t even imagine what might have happened. I can’t imagine the terrible defeat. Chances are Israel would have been wiped out.

But God fought for them and they obeyed.

I am learning about how badly things can go for me when I try to sort things out according to my own plans. How often have I stepped in when I didn’t like the way God was dealing with things and really messed it up?

It never works out best when we face our battles in our own strength and wisdom. God always knows best – even when we don’t understand His plans.