Setup For Power

Yesterday was Pentecost—one of the most significant moments in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the early disciples in Jerusalem, igniting the birth of the Church with power, clarity, and global impact. As I reflected on it, I was struck by the parallels between Acts 2 and the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14. These two moments—separated by centuries—tell the same kind of story: A people freshly delivered but not yet empowered. A position that looks like vulnerability but is actually divine strategy. And a God who steps in not with explanation, but demonstration.

Pentecost by Water
In Exodus 14, The children of Israel had just been delivered from Egypt after generations of slavery. They were free, but they were not yet formed. They didn’t yet know how to fight, how to worship freely, or how to walk by faith. And as they left Egypt, they didn’t have the luxury of choosing their path. God chose it for them. They could either go through land—the shortcut through Philistine territory—or through water, the route to the Red Sea. Strategically, land made more sense. However, when a nation is going through another occupied land or territory, it can be considered an act of war. God knew land would mean war, and they weren’t ready. Exposure to enemies at that point would have crushed their fragile faith. But water? That seemed impossible. And yet God led them by way of the sea—a route that required no sword but demanded trust.

With the sea before them and Pharaoh’s army behind, the people panicked. What they didn’t realize was that this wasn’t a miscalculation—it was a setup. God Himself said in Exodus 14:4, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” Israel thought they were trapped. Pharaoh thought they were vulnerable. But both were wrong. The Red Sea wasn’t just a barrier—it was a stage. God deliberately led them into a position that would draw the enemy in so He could defeat him publicly and completely. It was never just about escape. It was about displaying power. The best or only way to break out of the enemy grip is a demonstration of God’s power. That silences the enemy once and for all.

Pentecost by Fire
Fast forward to the upper room in Jerusalem. Jesus had just ascended, and the disciples were waiting as He commanded. They didn’t know the day, the hour, or the method of what would come. All they had was a promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). And so they waited. They were not strategizing, publicizing, or mobilizing. Just waiting. And then—on the day of Pentecost, one of the most widely attended feasts in the Jewish calendar—the Holy Spirit came. Not quietly. Not privately. It was loud, visual, and public. Suddenly, people from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5) heard the disciples speaking in their languages. It was like God was speaking specifically to their context- the issues in their lives, the impossibilities that had undermined them. It wasn’t the tongues of fire that the people saw; that might be enough for us to declare that something supernatural was going on. It was the expression of that tongues of fire in words that drew people in, that got them talking about what they have just heard. And what did they hear? Not a theological debate, but the wonders of God proclaimed in boldness. Peter stood up to preach, and 3,000 people were added that day. Just like the Red Sea, this moment wasn’t accidental. Pentecost wasn’t chosen by the disciples—it was orchestrated by God for maximum impact and widest coverage. Again, the people were seemingly inactive—but in position. Again, the world was watching. Again, God moved in a way no one could predict—and no one could deny.

Pentecost by Water and Fire
When you look at the Red Sea and Pentecost side by side, you begin to see that God has a pattern. He doesn’t just work randomly—He works with timing and intentionality. These two moments, centuries apart, mirror each other in ways that reveal how God still moves in our lives today.

• In both stories, the people were in a place of transition.
  At the Red Sea, Israel had just come out of slavery but had not yet stepped into promise. In Jerusalem, the disciples had just witnessed the resurrection, but the church had not yet been born.
• In both, God led them to a place that looked like a dead end.
  Israel stood with a sea in front and an army behind—no way out. The disciples were huddled in an upper room, waiting without a plan, unsure of what was next.
• Both were deliberate setups, not accidents.
  God said He would harden Pharaoh’s heart to display His glory. Jesus told them to wait—because the timing of Pentecost would ensure the message reached every nation present.
• The enemy thought he had the upper hand.
  Pharaoh believed Israel was trapped, ripe for recapture. The world had already dismissed Jesus as dead and His followers as powerless.
• But God wasn’t late—He was setting the stage.
  He parted the Red Sea at just the right moment, with Pharaoh watching. He sent the Holy Spirit during a global festival, when Jerusalem was filled with every nation under heaven.
• The breakthrough came suddenly and publicly.
  Israel walked through walls of water with their enemy drowned behind them. The disciples spoke in tongues, fire rested on their heads, and 3,000 souls were added to the church in one day.
• There was no need to explain—because the power demonstrated itself.
  God didn’t give Moses a sermon—He gave him a staff and a sea to stretch it over. Jesus didn’t defend His resurrection (Matthew 28:11-15). He sent the Spirit, and the world felt it. And in both moments, something was born. At the Red Sea, a nation was born into freedom. At Pentecost, the Church was born into power.

God still works this way. You might feel like you’re at a standstill—boxed in, forgotten, delayed. But maybe, just maybe, you’re not stuck. You’re set up.

• That job door that didn’t open? Maybe it wasn’t the promised land.
• That season of waiting you didn’t plan? Maybe it’s Pentecost in disguise.
• That pressure you feel from the enemy? Maybe it’s the moment right before God parts the sea.

Don’t assume that silence means absence, or that waiting means wasting time. Sometimes God delays so that the impact is wider, the audience is greater, and the glory is unmistakably His. He doesn’t need your strategy—He just needs your positioning. You don’t have to fight for explanation—just trust Him for demonstration. The God of Exodus 14 and Acts 2 is still writing stories like that today—including yours.

Bible Readings
Monday – Exodus 13:17-22
Tuesday – Acts 2: 1-21
Wednesday – Acts 2:22-47
Thursday – Joshua 3
Friday – John 11:1-44
Saturday – Habakkuk 2:1-14