Beyond our natural eyes

https://odb.org/2026/03/31/gods-view

Exodus 14:10–14 (NIV): 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Hudson Taylor was troubled. He’d left England to share the gospel in China, and ministry—though challenging—had gone well. In 1865, as he considered sending more people to a more dangerous part of China, without protection, he felt “intense conflict.” After wrestling with God in prayer, he wrote, “The Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God . . . that all responsibility . . . and consequences must rest with him.”

Moses received a call from God that likely left him troubled. As he was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea” (Exodus 14:2). This meant they were trapped between Pharaoh and the sea! The Israelites trembled as “Pharaoh approached” (v. 10). But Moses replied, “Do not be afraid” (v. 13). (Tom Felten, Our Daily Bread 31st March 2026 Condensed)

Exodus 14:1-14 shows the tension between how things can appear to us and what God’s really doing. When the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh, God told them to turn back – boxed in between Pharaoh’s army and the sea (v. 2). But this was God’s plan to lure and defeat Pharaoh once and for all (v. 4). When Israel panicked (vv. 10–12), Moses reminded them that their rescue wasn’t dependent on their strength but on God’s (vv. 13-14). (Monica La Rose, Insight, Our Daily Bread 31st March 2026 Condensed)

When it comes to God’s work, sometimes what is apparent in the natural may not be so in the spiritual. It could just be blind faith but usually what God is doing extends far beyond what our minds may comprehend. For example, in church planting, a fellowship of just a family of four may be a catalyst to a full functioning church a few years down the road. That is why an important lesson for us in church leadership is not to manage only by human logic. We have to pray and ask God to show us what He is doing in our midst. Fruits must not only be measured by numbers as what’s more pertinent are transformed lives and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The advantage of us as believers is we have an insight into the spiritual realm. Our spirit is born-again. We could pray for the supernatural to pierce through the natural world when the Holy Spirit moves in signs and wonders, and healing. Sometimes we need to pray that our unbelief and doubts be broken in the name of Jesus! That our eyes may be opened to see the marvellous work He is doing in our midst. Like how Elisha opened the eyes of his servant in 2 Kings 6:17-20.

For this morning, I just like to remind us of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Trust in His calling and persevere on. Don’t give up or give in to our own ambitions or desires. Pray for Jesus to open up our eyes to the wondrous work He is and will be doing in our lives. Ask that we may see beyond our natural eyes or human logic.

Just a word of caution – whatever that lies ahead, let it be something genuine that God has placed in our hearts. Not something make believe or something we want to believe or just plain blind faith. If it is real, pursue it with all our heart, mind and strength!