Prayer Journal: December 5, 2025
23. Feb. 2025 Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service
Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:1-14
“The LORD will fight for you.” There is no power stronger than God, so, “The LORD will fight for you.” It is a passage we know very well, but we may misunderstand it.
▣ Introduction
The very first thing we must know is that God led the Israelites to the Red Sea even though there were many good roads He could have taken them on. This is very important. In verses 1 and 2, God led them there. The great hardships that come to you are brought by God. It is not that God lacked the power to block them; He brought them in order to give you what is truly real. So in front of the sea, the Red Sea was blocking their way. Knowing this, the Egyptian army came after them. There were 600 chariots, and then all the other horses and charioteers were fully mobilized. They were coming to kill the Israelites. What could they do? It was truly a dead-end situation. If they went back, they would be killed by the Egyptians; if they went forward, they would drown in the water. They were in such a situation. But who led them to the Red Sea? The LORD did. You must remember this. It was to give them what is truly real. We keep thinking in the wrong way: “We have met this kind of crisis—what should we do?”
1. A dead-end situation
So at this time, it became a complete dead-end. They could neither go forward nor backward. At this time, two kinds of people appeared. As it says in today’s passage, most people grumbled. They said everything they wanted to say. “Why did you bring us here?” In other words, “We are suffering like this because we chose the wrong leader.” When in fact, God had brought them there. So while such a reaction arose, there was also a small number of people who prayed. There is no such thing as a dead-end situation.
2. Only one way
For us, there is only one way. We must cross the Red Sea. If we cannot cross it, we must die there. It is “do or die.” Right? God’s plan does not change. It was there that they grumbled, trying desperately to stay alive. In the end, those people could not enter Canaan. The ones who were newly born and the ones who held the covenant all went in.
3. The miracle – a bonus
So, as you know, God performed the miracle of parting the Red Sea. He let Israel cross. So this path where they experienced the Red Sea was, for the Israelites, a bonus path. It sounds easy in words, but if you are actually in that situation, it is almost like death. In fact, it is the same for Busan, for our Ulsan, for Changwon, and also for Imse. Many buildings are being constructed. We must have the faith to cross the Red Sea. Right? It is not a simple matter. At the Red Sea the question is, “Will you die or live?” Then the answer is simple. “Will you die, or will you build the temple?” Then we say, “Oh, we will build the temple,” and the blessings overflow. “Will you die, or drown in the Red Sea, or live?” Simply put, God is leading us in such a way. There are three reasons.
[ Egypt ] He would completely destroy the Egyptian army. Right? They had to all be drowned and killed.
[ Faith ] What else? He would plant faith in the Israelites. Since this tremendous, actual event took place, what do you think happened?
[ Reputation ] This news spread throughout the whole land. In this way, God had already begun. This is very important for us.
▣ Main
We must truly receive answers. We must have the faith to cross the Red Sea. But what is even more important is in the main point. In verse 1, God said, “Go there.” “Go to the Red Sea. Set up camp there.” Then in verses 3 and 4, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. “Go attack Israel.” This is the right answer. Without Israel knowing at all, God led them to the Red Sea in order to give them true grace. And to punish the wicked to the very end, God drove them to the Red Sea. Moses knew this and spoke boldly. Moses understood this. He spoke boldly: “Stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The LORD will fight for you.” Why was that?
1. The covenant – The promise (Exodus–Canaan) First, God’s covenant does not change. It is God’s promise. When He gives the covenant to us, it becomes a promise. The Exodus and the entry into Canaan are God’s absolute plan. Building the three courtyards in Ulsan, Changwon, Busan, and Seoul for evangelism is God’s absolute plan.
1) Vision – Exodus 3:8, 2:1–10, 3:18–20 Already here, what did God give in advance? He gave the covenant as a vision. When He called Moses at Horeb, in Exodus 3:8, what did He say? “I will give you the land of Canaan.” That is it, right? When He first called Moses at Horeb, He said, “I have seen the misery of My people Israel,” and He promised, “I will give that land to you.” Moses knew this. Even before this, in Exodus 2:10, Moses had already heard something from his mother. It matched exactly. As she nursed him and finally sent him away, his mother said, “You must save Israel.” At that time, God said, “Go and offer the blood sacrifice. I will be with you with a mighty hand.”
2) Before the event He gave it before the event. In verse 1, “Then the LORD said to Moses…” He gave it in advance. Then in verse 2, what does He say? “Set up camp at such-and-such place.” He said it. That place was right in front of the Red Sea. Then in verse 4 He says, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so he will pursue them.” God’s amazing plan lay inside this. In the situation where you think you must panic, God’s amazing plan of blessing is contained. For unbelievers, it is a place of death. They are anxious. For God’s chosen people, it is a place of life. Right? The flood of Noah’s day was an event of death for those who were not God’s children. But for those who entered the ark, they lived because of the flood. Some people died because of the flood, and some people lived because of the flood. You must have absolute assurance. The difficult, dead-end situation before you is actually the way for you to live.
3) The evidence And God spoke of the evidence. “I will be with you; stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. I will let you cross this sea. The LORD will do it.” After Israel came out, the Egyptian army went in after them. The waters closed in and drowned them. And that is not all.
2. Experiencing God’s power Why did God drive the Israelites to the Red Sea and allow Egypt to chase them there? God did this. It was so that they would experience His power. We must experience the power of God.
1) Answer You must not experience with disasters, but experience with answers. It is the same event, but different. Look. Egypt experienced God through destruction—“Ah, this God is real,” that way. Israel experienced Him through answers.
2) The Word Many people experience God’s power through suffering, but we must experience it through the Word. When you hear testimonies of people who were in great suffering and later received answers—there is nothing wrong with that. Right? But there is nothing especially good about it either. I tell people not to put remnants under those who have had a lot of strange experiences. Right? It is best when nothing happens. The best is to realize through the Word. Right? Your children must realize as they go forward and receive answers, not by getting injured and going to the repair shop. Things get complicated then, right?
3) Prayer Among those who were grumbling, there were people who were praying. These are the ones who were led to experience God’s power. You must absolutely remember this. The Red Sea. It is an event we must talk about a lot. If we understand the situation that confronted them at the Red Sea and the power of God that parted it, there is nothing we cannot do. Why is it like this?
2. Assurance for the future It is assurance for the future.
1) The wilderness God was saying He would lead them through the wilderness. The wilderness is originally a place of suffering. But, “Look at how I parted the Red Sea!”
2) Preparation And since they would be in the wilderness for a long time, they must make all preparations with God’s power. The key among them is the tabernacle. Right? The center of everything is the tabernacle. That is why we say we must stake our lives and prepare the temple properly.
3) Conquest Further, there is a greater assurance. During the 400 years Israel was in Egypt, the land of Canaan had been taken by all kinds of mixed peoples. God was saying He would make them conquer Canaan. This meaning is contained in what happened before the Red Sea. Whenever you face difficulty, quickly find the covenant. Right? Do not be deceived. God shakes you in order to bless you. He is different from Satan. God is not Satan. Right? God shakes you in order to make you live. So, by passing through the Red Sea, He gave this perfect answer (main points 1, 2, and 3). This covenant is yours. You must hold firmly to this covenant and pray. Think: “What would happen if I were to die right now?” Or: “How much longer will I live?” You must have this forum. For example, if ten years pass, your situation will be completely different. Right? In ten years, people change. Generations change. Think what it would be like if you truly faced a great crisis. We must go forward with this faith (main points 1, 2, and 3). We must go with God’s power. At the recent conference, I mentioned this: when I went to Japan, Missionary Kang Myeong-ju came to meet me, and in our conversation she said something like this. She had been healed after nearly dying from cancer. So she said, “Pastor, once you stand before death, nothing else matters.” I said, “That is true.” “When death comes near, there is only the gospel.” We must start counting. We are standing before the Red Sea. We must cross the Red Sea. All the church members in Ulsan, Busan, and Changwon must pray, staking their entire lifetime. “Someday I will leave. When I am gone, what footprints will I have left here?” Without boasting, I must say: we must build the three courtyards, and I believe your history must be recorded. We must leave something so that our future generations can follow what kind of 237 missions we did. We must leave clearly what these three courtyards are. Then remnants from all over the world must come, see, and understand. “Ah, this is prayer. This is the gospel.” They must see that. That is the covenant He is telling us to hold. “The LORD will fight for you. Stand still and wait.” So this tremendous event occurred. Burying Egypt was natural, but more important was that the news went out to the whole world, and even more important was the faith there. To help you pray more, I will conclude.
▣ Conclusion
[ 40 years – The tabernacle ] What was the message of the forty years in the wilderness? The tabernacle. Without question, the tabernacle. With the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire at the center of the tabernacle. With the openings of the tents all facing the tabernacle.
[ The Early Church – 3 courtyards ] What was the message of the Early Church? It was the three courtyards of the temple that Jesus spoke of. That is the message.
[ 237–5000 closed churches ] Then what is our message today? Why did they do everything centered on the tabernacle, and why did the Early Church have the three courtyards? We must save the 237 nations. The 5,000 tribes must come to our church, learn evangelism, and go out. And even more, we must save the closed churches. So throughout the country and world, as I plan to speak with our church leaders and our young adults at the retreat, if you just open your eyes a little, there are many. In Germany, the elders said, “Look for an RUTC,” and when they looked—without really expecting it—there truly was one. Since it was a cultural center used by children, the rent was cheap and no one could touch it. It was all prepared. If our church leaders open their eyes just a bit, opportunities are everywhere. We must revive the churches that have closed. So our mission is not just any mission. Because we have no place now, multiethnic people come and go like this. We must have resources prepared so that they can rest and pray, and truly have healing. And we must have rooms ready where the sick can go in, pray comfortably, and listen to the message. We cannot make the entire church like that, but we must make it possible for those who desire it. Right now the church lacks nothing at all. What we must have is what God truly wants. This week you must experience the tremendous work of God that allows you to cross the Red Sea. Did the miracle of crossing the Red Sea take place? Check. It has taken place for me. The fact that a powerless sinner like me can be in a place to do world evangelization together with you—that, for me, is a miracle greater than the Red Sea. Some people say that they realized God’s grace after they fell into great illness, but for me it was not even that. By grace, God made me understand through the Word, and I am doing world evangelization. What is the conclusion? The Red Sea incident happened because of people who had no faith. That is the precise way to see it. If we had faith, He would have taken us directly, but now He had to do some work on them. He had to give some training. That is the Red Sea. If it were you, would you send your child out into the world when they do not even know how to write? You must educate them. If your child is weak and cannot even walk properly, would you send them outside? Of course not. God caused this tremendous incident called the Red Sea and overturned the world. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that this grace will begin in you today and this week. Let us pray.
Prayer. Let this covenant be imprinted in us today. Let us see the work of God who parts the Red Sea. Let the work of the Red Sea parting arise in our work, in our studies, and in our fields. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.