Only God Could Do That

Devotional

Day 1: God Sees You in the Midst of Crushed Hopes

When life feels like a desert of forgotten promises, Scripture insists God’s gaze never wavers. He saw Joseph in Egypt, the Israelites under whips, and every hidden ache in His people. His vision pierces through layers of oppression, isolation, and despair, not as a passive observer but as the One who names suffering to dismantle it. This divine attention is not theoretical—it ignites action. To be seen by God is to be known in the rawest parts of your story, even when no one else notices. [41:21]

“Then the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.’” (Exodus 3:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life have you felt invisible, and how might God’s promise to “see” you reshape your waiting? What would it look like to trust His vision over your limited perspective?

Day 2: God Hears Cries Buried Under Generations

The Israelites’ groans under Egyptian slavery were not lost in the void. God’s ear bends toward the muffled prayers of those who feel their words hit the ceiling. His hearing is not selective—He attends to the unspoken grief, the rage swallowed in silence, the decades-old wounds. This is not a deity distracted by grandeur but one who cups His hands around the whispers of the broken. Hearing precedes deliverance; your voice matters to the One who shaped sound itself. [41:52]

“You have seen the affliction of my people… and have heard their cry… I know their sufferings.” (Exodus 3:7, ESV)

Reflection: What cry have you stopped voicing because it feels too old or too heavy? How might God’s commitment to hear you invite you to speak again?

Day 3: God Cares Enough to Move

Compassion is not a divine mood but His fixed posture. When God says, “I am concerned about their suffering,” He rejects detached pity. His care is a verb—a stirring that splits seas and shatters status quos. The Israelites’ pain moved Him from heaven’s throne to a burning bush, from eternity into the grit of human trauma. His concern is not a pat on the head but a demolition of every chain. [42:08]

“Because I care about them… I will rescue them.” (Exodus 3:8, paraphrase)

Reflection: Where have you doubted God’s care because circumstances haven’t shifted? How might His definition of “care” differ from yours in this season?

Day 4: Only God Can Make a Way Through Walls of Water

Natural explanations crumble before the Red Sea. No wind, no tide, no human ingenuity explains a path carved through chaos. Superstition fails—Moses’ staff held no magic, only obedience. This is supernatural intervention: God overriding laws He authored to prove His lordship. Deliverance is His signature move, His alone. When you’re hemmed in by impossibility, His power specializes in “only God can do that” moments. [51:21]

“Moses stretched out his hand over the sea… and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind… and the waters were divided.” (Exodus 14:21, ESV)

Reflection: What “Red Sea” have you been staring at, trying to solve with human logic? What would surrendering it to God’s supernatural power look like today?

Day 5: From Exodus to Empty Tomb—Deliverance Eternal

The Passover lamb’s blood pointed to a greater rescue: Christ’s body broken, His blood poured out. Communion isn’t ritual—it’s resurrection’s down payment. Just as God drowned Pharaoh’s army to birth a nation, Jesus’ death drowned sin to birth a new creation. The God who split seas split the grave. Every deliverance here whispers of the final exodus: death itself swallowed in victory. [01:09:38]

“He took bread… and said, ‘This is my body… Do this in remembrance of me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ ultimate deliverance redefine your current struggles? What chains lose their weight when held next to His empty tomb?

Sermon Summary

God reveals himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who has not forgotten his covenant promises. Exodus gives four plain words for God’s heart toward his people: God sees, God hears, God cares, and God rescues. God sees oppression that has gone on for generations, hears cries that seem unanswered, and comes down to bring his people out into a good and spacious place.

Exodus 14 shows what rescue looks like when there is no human way out. Pharaoh’s army closes in behind Israel, the sea stands in front of them, and God puts his presence between his people and their enemy. The pillar of cloud brings darkness to Egypt and light to Israel, and the strong east wind opens a way through the water on dry ground. Only God can do that.

Naturalism tries to explain everything by natural causes alone, reducing God’s mighty work to tides, wind, or some other phenomenon. Superstition gives power to things that have no power, as though Moses’ staff were a magic stick or signs and numbers could direct a life. The supernatural declares that God created nature, sustains nature, and can act above nature whenever he wills. God does not need human cleverness, lucky objects, or perfect circumstances to save his people.

God’s deliverance calls for trust when he says go and trust when he says be still. Faith admits, “I can’t do it,” and then rests in the deeper truth: God can. God makes ways through seasons of pressure, confusion, weakness, captivity, and fear, though his people may not see the path until he opens it. God’s rescue is not limited to temporary relief, because his promise reaches through death into resurrection, eternity, and the new creation.

Moses points ahead to Jesus, the greater Prophet whom God’s people must hear. Jesus is Messiah, Savior, Rescuer, and Redeemer, and he fulfills the Exodus pattern by delivering his people from sin, darkness, evil, and death. Communion remembers that greater deliverance through Christ’s body broken and blood poured out for the new covenant. Exodus 15 ends with singing because God’s enemies are defeated and his people stand on the other side. God still deserves that song, because God alone can do what he has promised to do.

##

Key Takeaways

1. God sees, hears, cares, rescues God’s name is not an empty religious label. God reveals himself as the One who sees suffering clearly, hears cries fully, and is moved with real concern. God’s rescue may unfold over time, but his people are never invisible to him. [40:56]
2. Only God makes impossible ways Exodus 14 does not leave room for Israel to congratulate itself. God places his people where human strength, strategy, and escape routes run out, then opens the sea himself. Faith begins where self-reliance finally admits, “I can’t do it,” and looks to the God who can. [50:59]
3. Reject naturalism and superstition Naturalism shrinks God’s work down to what can be explained, while superstition gives false power to objects, signs, phrases, and rituals. God alone holds authority over creation and over the lives of his people. Scripture, not lucky symbols or anxious guesswork, gives true direction. [51:43]
4. Jesus fulfills the greater Exodus Jesus is not merely another helper in a hard situation. Jesus is the Messiah who rescues from sin, darkness, and death, bringing his people into the lasting promise of resurrection and new creation. The bread and cup proclaim that this deliverance came through his broken body and poured-out blood.

## [65:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[37:35] - Israel Cries Out in Egypt
[40:21] - God Reveals His Name to Moses
[40:56] - God Sees, Hears, Cares, and Rescues
[45:03] - Israel Trapped at the Sea
[48:26] - God Parts the Waters
[50:42] - Only God Can Do That
[51:43] - Naturalism, Superstition, and the Supernatural
[56:15] - Trusting God When There Is No Way
[60:16] - God’s Deliverance Is Eternal
[62:46] - God Gains Glory Over Egypt
[64:24] - Moses Points to Jesus
[67:19] - Exodus Ends in Worship
[68:32] - Passover Fulfilled in Communion
[70:33] - Prayer and Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 14
“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. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, "They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in." And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.' And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, 'What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?' So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, 'Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: "Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians"? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.' And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' The Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.' Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.' Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.' So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

Observation questions

What details in Exodus 14 show that Israel was trapped with no human escape route?
How does God’s presence move and function between Israel and Egypt during the night? [48:07]
What contrasts does the passage make between what Israel experiences and what Egypt experiences at the sea?
What actions does Moses take, and what actions does the Lord take, as Israel crosses through the sea? [47:37]

Interpretation questions

Why does God lead Israel to a place where they appear trapped, and how does that setting reveal who receives the glory for their rescue? [01:02:46]
What does God’s protection of Israel through the pillar of cloud and fire show about his care for his people when danger is close?
Why is it important to see the parting of the sea as God’s work rather than as Moses’ power, a lucky object, or an explainable natural event? [51:43]
How does Israel’s rescue from Egypt point beyond temporary safety to the greater rescue Jesus brings from sin, darkness, and death? [01:05:58]

Application questions

Where does life currently feel like Israel at the sea—pressure behind, uncertainty ahead, and no clear way forward? What would it look like to bring that situation honestly to the God who sees, hears, cares, and rescues? [41:10]
When has a delayed answer to prayer made it difficult to believe that God sees and hears? What helps someone keep trusting God when rescue does not come quickly?
Are there ways naturalism can shrink expectations of God’s power, or ways superstition can give power to objects, signs, numbers, or routines? What would it look like to seek direction from God’s Word instead? [52:59]
God sometimes calls his people to “go,” and at other times to “be still.” Is there a situation where the next faithful step may be action, waiting, or both? How can the group pray for wisdom and courage in that situation? [01:00:54]
What area of weakness, fear, captivity, or confusion needs the honest confession, “I can’t do it, but God can”? How might that confession change the way someone responds this week? [01:01:17]
Jesus is the greater Rescuer whose broken body and poured-out blood establish the new covenant. How does remembering Christ’s deliverance reshape the way someone faces present troubles and future death? [01:09:36]

Sermon Clips

72s

#GodSeesYou

“And so God sees, God hears, God cares, and God rescues. This is essential. This is God's revelation as he says to Moses. This is the name I'm gonna send you again. Just not another name among other guys. He is the one who is. And the one who is is the one who sees and hears and cares and delivers. That is our god. Praise god. Right? Praise god. I confess this. I need to be reminded constantly. God hears. When I feel invisible, god sees me.”

36s

#TrustGodsTiming

“When God says go, it's time to go. And when God says be still be still and pay attention and wait, God can make a way. And sometimes when you take that, when you said that he's still and he hands you in and you don't know how to write. However, how am I gonna get this? I can't do it. That's exactly right. You can't. But God can.”

47s

#JesusOurSavior

“Moses knew that God was the God who would deliver his people, and that he was gonna do it through his son. Jesus is our messiah. Messiah means savior. It means rescuer. It means redeemer. It is in Jesus that we can confidently hold, that we too will experience all of bronze towers slated in Exodus on our behalf to rescue and deliver and to bring us to a place that is spacious and grueling and overflowing.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Perkiomenville Mennonite Church This sermon · AI assistant

What distinguishes supernatural faith from superstition?

How does God’s deliverance extend beyond temporary troubles?

What should believers do when God says wait?