Session 22

When you feel like you just can’t go any further

From Preparing Your Heart to Lead: A 28-Day Devotional

Imagine God just miraculously delivered you from the most painful season of your life. He gave you a story to tell that defies all logic that will stun generations to come. 

Your feet really did touch the bottom of the Red Sea. You really did witness the presence of God go before you in a cloud. You really did shout in victory as your enemies sank in mighty waters. It was not your doing, but God’s, and His faithfulness stirred up worship in your heart.

But now it’s hot. You’ve walked more steps than your FitBit can count. Everyone is miserably sweaty and the whiffs of animal poop aren’t helping. To make matters worse, you’re thirsty to the point of death. You’ve finally found water, but it’s so disgustingly bitter you can’t drink it. 

Your whole journey starts to feel slightly cruel and painful. You’ve stopped singing and left your tambourine to be trampled in the dust. You’re annoyed, anxious, a little confused, and growing bitter in every step.

What if where God is leading me is worse than where first began?
I’m so tired. I should just stop.
What’s the point? We all know we’re on an endless walk to nowhere.

Before you know it, you’re grumbling out loud and beneath every complaint is this resounding question: “Is God going to be faithful to me again?” 

This is how Moses and most of Israel felt in Exodus 15. The newness of the journey had worn off and the reality of how far they still had to go — physically and spiritually — was setting in. 

When God calls us to faith, He’s asking everything of us. For the Israelites, that meant taking everything precious to them and marching to a place they’d never been before. 

As group leaders, our journey will look different. We might have to fight through months of awkward conversation and second guessing to get to real relationships. We might find ourselves listening to marriage struggles, grieving with people we barely know, and sharing stories we’d rather keep private. 

Israel’s breaking point came at Marah. Moses cried out to God, and God gave them what they needed. But Marah was about more than meeting Israel’s needs, it was about revealing Israel’s heart. 

Group leading will do the same for you. What God is calling you to will not break you, but it will change you. Leading others reveals the bitter waters in our own hearts. And like He did with Israel, God wants to do more than change the circumstances. He wants to heal you (Exodus 15:25-26). God is using every Red Sea miracle and meeting at Marah to bring healing to our souls and deeper intimacy to our relationships with Him.

Reflect:

• Have you ever felt abandoned by God? 
• How have you seen God shape your heart in tough times?
• Healing comes through humility. Is there anything painful you are willing to let Jesus step in and heal today?