Compare Acts 12:10 with Exodus 14:21. How does God part obstacles for His people? Setting the Scene Exodus 14:21 — “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided.” Acts 12:10 — “They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened for them by itself. So they went outside and started down the street, and suddenly the angel left him.” Two very different backdrops—an impassable sea and an impregnable prison gate—yet one unchanging God who clears the path for His people. Tracing God’s Hand in Exodus 14:21 • Israel is boxed in—Egyptian army behind, Red Sea ahead. • Moses obeys the simple command: “stretch out your hand.” • God employs a “strong east wind,” working through creation yet far beyond natural explanation. • Result: waters “divided,” seabed becomes “dry land,” and an entire nation walks through what moments earlier was certain death (Psalm 106:9). Tracing God’s Hand in Acts 12:10 • Peter is chained, guarded, and locked behind multiple barriers the night before execution (Acts 12:6–7). • An angel appears, light fills the cell, chains fall, but guards stay asleep. • The iron gate “opened for them by itself,” literally “automatically” (Gk. automatos). • Peter only realizes what happened after he’s on the street—God’s deliverance often outpaces our comprehension (Psalm 34:7). Common Threads: How God Parts Obstacles • Impossible circumstances: seawater or steel bars, both humanly uncrossable. • Initiated by God: people act, but the power originates with Him. • Specific means, same Author: wind in Exodus, angel in Acts—God custom-fits the method to the moment. • Path made before the people take a step: dry land first, open gate first. • Timing magnifies His glory: deliverance arrives at the last possible moment, so no one can credit luck or effort (Isaiah 48:11). More Scriptural Echoes • Joshua 3:15-17 — Jordan River piles up; priests stand on dry ground. • Isaiah 43:16 — “This is what the LORD says—He who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters.” • Revelation 3:7 — Jesus “opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.” • 2 Corinthians 1:10 — “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.” Living It Out Today • Identify the “seas” and “iron gates” you face—health, sin, relationships, opposition. • Seek His direction first, not a workaround; He alone knows the wind or angel suited to the need. • Step forward in obedience even before you see the pathway; water and gates move after faith acts (Hebrews 11:29). • Expect varied methods but the same faithfulness; yesterday’s wind may be tomorrow’s open door. • Give God the credit, tell the story, strengthen others (Psalm 105:1-2). |
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