Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

John Osborne

Have you ever felt as though you have been given two difficult choices or used the phrase, “stuck between a rock and a hard place?” I’m reminded of the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. They had been miraculously delivered out of the land of slavery and experienced the first few days of their freedom. It was a joyous occasion. However, as they reached the shores of the Red Sea they came to a quick realization that they did not have a means to cross. As they looked back they had the Egyptian army coming towards them ready to destroy them. Things looked dire!

What is always interesting in this story is in Exodus 13:17 where it says, “God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.” God had His reasons and those are explained next. “For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” It is human nature for all of us to avoid hardships. It was back then and it is now. For many of us, we typically see two difficult options rather than a third supernatural option. Back to the Israelites at the Red Sea.

For the Israelites they saw both death in front of them and behind them. They did not see that God wanted to perform a miracle in the midst of their situation. How quickly they forgot God’s faithfulness in delivering them out of Egypt. Sadly, we are not much different.

I would like to propose, that the next time you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, that you pray for God to give you eyes to see a third option. It is not unlike God to direct us into a circumstance in which the options look extremely difficult. That is exactly how the Israelites found themselves facing the Red Sea with the Egyptians breathing down their backs. God directed them there. We might ask why, but if we again look at the story of the Israelites, we find the answer in Exodus 14:4, which references that God was going to get involved to “gain glory,” and so that “the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

God’s plans and purposes are usually not the shortest or the easiest. He desires to have us trust Him and to see His hand at work. Do you have a situation where you need to see God work? Pray that He reveals Himself in a supernatural way!