Been there. Many times in my life. Times when I was backed into a corner and couldn’t see any way out. Suffocating. Hopeless. When I felt I had no other choice but to just endure, just exist, one day at a time.

The trappings have been varied. At times I’ve been trapped in my mind and my emotions—paralyzed by the stifling fear of the unknown. I’ve also been trapped by circumstances, most notably the long, drawn out years when I was a single mom living far away from my family and support system. I lived that way day after day, week after week, month after month, and what I thought would be year after year into a future I couldn’t even imagine. I was on autopilot working, raising my kids, and just trying to do my best, while underneath there was a simmering stew of fear, uncertainty and loneliness that I couldn’t shake. Many other times I’ve felt trapped facing circumstances I had absolutely no control over and couldn’t see how there was a way through them to the other side.

The Bible is full of stories of men and women of God who felt trapped and were afraid or without hope. In the New Testament book of Romans, the apostle Paul writes that, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (15:4).

Take, for example, the children of Israel. They had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years when God raised up Moses to deliver them. After a series of plagues Pharaoh finally gave in and let the people go, and Moses led them out of Egypt. Knowing that the people could change their minds and want to return to Egypt as they encountered trouble on their way to the land He promised them, God decided to route them through the wilderness towards the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17-18). God guided them with His visible presence (how cool would that be!)—“The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” The text goes on to state that, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.’” (Exodus 13:21-22, 14:1-2)

Initially, the people were doing fine. Imagine the relief—they had been slaves and now they were free! They were listening to Moses and following God—they were on the right track. Personally, I think I would be so encouraged to see tangible proof of God’s presence, but even that wasn’t enough when circumstances grew dire. How do you think they felt when Pharaoh changed his mind, and sent his armies in chariots to chase them down and take them back to Egypt? The panic they must have felt as they realized they were trapped—with the sea in front of them, the mountains around them and the Egyptians barreling down behind them! Did God miraculously deliver them from Egypt only to bring them to this place to die?

If you are familiar with the story of the parting of the Red Sea, and how God delivered His people, you know how that portion of the story ends! (The account is found in the Old Testament book of Exodus, chapter 14.)

Since we know the whole story we can see that God intended all along to provide a way of escape for His people. But before the sea parted, the children of Israel had no way of knowing, and seeing they were trapped they saw no way out and they panicked. I have a little book that I read from time to time, called The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan. He shares ten principles or “rules” that he gleaned from Exodus 14 that helped him work through some Red Sea moments of his own. Morgan admits these principles are no quick fix, but they are a biblical method for working through life’s difficulties by faith in light of God’s presence, His promises, and His power.

The first “rule” is to realize that God means for you to be where you are. The God who led you in will lead you out. This even means if we are where we are as a result of our own poor choices, or because of what someone else has done to us. “Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them.” (J.I. Packer). This principle is woven throughout the Bible, and summed up in probably one of the most familiar verses on the subject, Romans 8:28:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In my longest, loneliest Red Sea experience, I eventually found peace by applying the first “rule”—surrendering to the will of God. I just put my hands up and accepted my circumstances, and discovered contentment knowing God had been there all along and I was right where I was supposed to be at that point in my life. When I stopped beating my head against a wall, my circumstances didn’t change but a miracle did happen—my heart changed.  My perspective changed. I was at peace and felt secure, and my relationship with the Lord was reignited. My only regret was that I hadn’t trusted sooner, because the relief was enormous. Trying to handle things my way in my time did not pay off and only made things worse.

I have learned so much from my Red Sea moments, and I’m still learning. Sometimes my Red Sea moments are not big life-engulfing trials or problems, but the day-to-day circumstances where I feel trapped, mostly because there aren’t enough hours in the day. I’m trying to train myself to recognize these moments for what they are and surrender them, trusting in the Lord’s timing and plan for my life, even in the intimate mundane. Sometimes those are the most precious moments because it’s in those that the reality of my own personal relationship with Him grows. It’s a comfort knowing He knows all about me down to the last detail, and He cares about everything that concerns me.

There are many things I could share about the good God has brought out of the times I felt trapped, but the main thing is that I found God is faithful. He really can be counted on. He has answered prayer and He’s been true to His word—it’s impossible for Him to be untruthful or untrustworthy or unfaithful! And for me, since I have learned through experience that this is true, I know I can count on Him in the future. My challenge and goal in the future is to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Another thing I think I’ve learned is that I don’t think God is as concerned with our happiness as with our character. We may not like hearing that. I think we’ve grown up in this culture and this period of history in America feeling entitled to so much, and we expect happiness and find it very hard to cope when things don’t turn out as we planned. We think if only this and if only that, I could be happy. God has used circumstances to press me so hard until there was no one else to turn to but Him. He has used these pressing times to test my faith, to reorient my priorities, to shave away the trivial. It’s a painful process for sure. But, because of His grace and His presence, and having my faith built up in the process, I can absolutely say I know for certain that He is real and alive and personal, and my idea of happiness has been replaced by a deeper abiding joy, and it’s a much richer, purposeful life.

When you feel trapped, if you call out to the Lord, you’ll find that He always makes a way, and His way is the best way. I’ll let Robert Morgan sum it all up:

He has promised never to leave you or forsake you, never to forget, never to abandon. His love never ceases, and His care never dims. So if you find yourself in a difficult spot, remember: you are there by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, and for His time. And all evidence to the contrary, there’s no better place to be.

Holding fast,

Lisa

Behold, I [the Lord] am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

^{Photography by Tom Sodoge}