When You Can't, God Will Make A Way

God can stands right at the center, because God's people hit a place where nobody else could fix it. Exodus 14 shows Israel finally leaving Egypt, only for Pharaoh to change his mind and come after them with war wagons. The Red Sea stands in front of them, Egypt stands behind them, and fear starts talking loud. Moses tells the people not to be afraid, to stand strong, and to see how the Lord will save them, because “the Lord will fight” and all they have to do is keep still.

God does not remove the Red Sea, but he parts it. That matters, because God does not always remove every problem the way people wish he would. Sometimes God makes a way right through the thing that looks impossible. The sea becomes a road, the waters become walls, and the place that looked like a dead end becomes the pathway of deliverance.

God can do what parents, friends, relatives, doctors, and even spiritual leaders cannot do. Human inability is real, and the faster that becomes clear, the better off the soul is, because need starts pointing in the right direction. The line is simple but weighty: “Your inability is not God’s limitation.” The struggler cannot save himself, break every addiction by himself, heal his own heart, restore everything, overcome every sin, or conquer death, but God can.

Jesus also stands inside the storm, not outside it. Mark 4 shows Jesus asleep in the boat while the disciples panic and cry, “Don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Jesus wakes, speaks to the wind and waves, and the storm has to obey. The storm around the ship is not what sinks it; the water that gets in the ship is what sinks it. Fear cannot be allowed to get inside and take over.

Isaiah 43 answers the Red Sea and the storm with a promise: deep waters will not drown God's people, rivers of difficulty will not sweep them away, and fire will not consume them. God says no one can snatch anyone out of his hand, and no one can undo what he has done. The former deliverance was great, but God says even that is nothing compared to what he is about to do. God makes pathways in the wilderness and rivers in dry wastelands.

Problems may also become the pathway to promotion. Tests cannot always be skipped, because stairs have to be climbed one step at a time. God may want to do something in a person before he does something for that person. The valley may be the road to the mountaintop, and the pit is never deeper than God's love.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God can when nobody else can [39:12] God’s help is not a last resort after every human option fails; God’s power is the deepest reality beneath every human limitation. Family, friends, doctors, and leaders may all have real compassion, but compassion is not the same as sovereignty. The soul learns humility when it stops demanding that people do what only God can do. [39:12]
• 2. God parts what he doesn’t remove [41:49] The Red Sea was not erased from Israel’s path; it was opened by the hand of God. That distinction matters, because deliverance does not always look like the disappearance of trouble. Sometimes grace looks like dry ground under trembling feet, with walls of water still standing on both sides. [41:49]
• 3. Inability is not God’s limitation [43:53] Human weakness is not a boundary line around divine power. The confession “I can’t” can become either despair or dependence, depending on where the heart turns next. God is not diminished by a person’s exhaustion, confusion, addiction, grief, or impossible situation. [43:53]
• 4. Storms sink when fear gets inside [46:50] The boat was surrounded by water, but the danger was not merely outside the disciples. Panic entered their hearts before water filled the boat. Christ being within shouting distance means fear does not get the final word when faith calls on the One who can speak peace to wind and waves. [46:50]
• 5. Problems can become promised pathways [52:01] The test is not always punishment; sometimes it is the step that cannot be skipped. God may use the very pressure a person wants removed to form strength, trust, and readiness for what comes next. The painful road can still be the road to promise when God is the one leading through it.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:03] - God Can
• [35:27] - Prayer for God’s Presence
• [36:48] - Making Heaven More Crowded
• [37:21] - Pharaoh Changes His Mind
• [38:08] - Stand Still and Keep Going
• [39:12] - God Can Do What Others Cannot
• [41:26] - Stopped at the Red Sea
• [43:53] - Inability Is Not Limitation
• [45:34] - Jesus in the Storm
• [48:28] - Through Waters and Fire
• [51:10] - Problems Bring Promotion
• [55:37] - No Pit Too Deep
• [56:01] - Not by Might, But Spirit

1. What specific instructions did Moses give the Israelites when they were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army?
2. How did God respond to the Israelites’ impossible situation in Exodus 14:21?
3. In Mark 4:38-40, what did Jesus say to the disciples when they panicked during the storm? [46:50]
4. According to Isaiah 43:2, what promises does God make about trials like “deep waters” or “fire”? [48:28]

1. Why do you think God chose to part the Red Sea instead of removing it entirely? What does this reveal about His methods in difficult situations?
2. The sermon says, “Ships sink because of the water that gets in them” [47:04]. How does fear “getting inside” us affect our ability to trust God during storms?
3. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” How might holding onto past deliverances hinder us from recognizing God’s new work?
4. The phrase “your inability is not God’s limitation” [43:53] suggests human weakness isn’t a barrier to God. Why is acknowledging our limitations a critical step toward relying on Him?

1. What “Red Sea” are you facing right now—a situation where you feel trapped or helpless? How can you practice “standing still” (Exodus 14:14) instead of trying to fix it alone?
2. Fear “sinks” us when it gets inside. What practical step can you take this week to stop fear from controlling your thoughts or decisions? [47:31]
3. The sermon says, “Sometimes God wants to do something in you before He does something for you” [52:26]. What area of your character or faith might God be refining through your current challenges?
4. Isaiah 43:2 promises God’s presence in “deep waters.” How would your response to difficulty change if you truly believed God was with you in it, not just removing it?
5. What addiction, sin, or “impossible” situation have you been trying to overcome in your own strength? How can you surrender it to God’s power this week? [44:22]
6. The sermon mentions “problems are your pathway to promotion” [52:01]. Is there a trial in your life that, if reframed, could be seen as preparation for something greater? How?