As Pharaoh mobilized his army to pursue the Israelites, God repositioned himself. Instead of moving before them, Verse 19 and 20 of chapter 14 tells us, “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.” God positioned Himself between His people and their enemies.
God is still there today for you and me. As you pursue God’s plan and purpose for your life, you can be sure that He goes before you. He promised Israel and us in Deuteronomy 31:8. “The Lord Himself will go before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”
He both goes before you and covers your rear. When our enemies attack from behind, he repositions himself to protect us. He won’t let them get to us to do us harm.
Even though we can’t always see God, we should realize that whether we are going forward or standing still, He is right where He needs to be at any given moment. No problem can get to us without going through Him first. Anything that does reach us has His permission, and will always work out for our good. Even the painful circumstances in life have a divine purpose.
Paul tells us that the painful circumstances in life are opportunities to demonstrate our faith. He says, “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentance of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.”