Red Sea Rules

What do you do when you have followed God—and still find yourself in a place you never wanted to be?

The Israelites knew that feeling. In Exodus 14, they found themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. There seemed to be no escape. Yet the very place that looked like a dead end became the setting for one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s power in the Bible.

Red Sea Rules: A Question-Based Bible Study Guide is a 10-session Bible study designed for small groups, Bible study groups, church groups, and individuals who want to learn how to trust God during difficult times. Based on the principles of Robert J. Morgan’s popular book The Red Sea Rules, this study walks through Exodus 14 and 15 and explores practical biblical principles for facing fear, uncertainty, suffering, waiting, spiritual warfare, difficult decisions, and seemingly impossible circumstances.

The central message is simple but life-changing: the God who led Israel to the Red Sea was also the God who led them through it.

When we face our own Red Sea moments, our natural reaction is often to panic, complain, run, or desperately search for a way out. Scripture offers another way. We can pray. We can trust. We can wait for God to work. And when God shows us the next step, we can move forward by faith—even when we cannot see the entire road ahead. The study repeatedly moves participants from understanding the biblical story toward asking what trusting God looks like in their own circumstances.

10 Bible Study Sessions

Session 1 — Realize That God Means for You to Be Where You Are (In This Cul-De-Sac)
Exodus 14:1–2

Session 2 — Be More Concerned for God’s Glory Than for Your Relief
Exodus 14:3–4

Session 3 — Acknowledge Your Enemy, But Keep Your Eyes on the Lord
Exodus 14:5–9

Session 4 — Pray!
Exodus 14:10

Session 5 — Stay Calm and Confident, and Give God Time to Work
Exodus 14:13–14

Session 6 — When Unsure, Just Take the Next Logical Step by Faith
Exodus 14:15

Session 7 — Envision God’s Enveloping Presence
Exodus 14:19–20

Session 8 — Trust God to Deliver in His Own Unique Way
Exodus 14:21–22

Session 9 — View Your Current Crisis as a Faith Builder for the Future
Exodus 14:30–31

Session 10 — Don’t Forget to Praise
Exodus 15:1–2

Good Questions Have Groups Talking

This is not simply a book to read. It is a Bible study designed to create conversation.

Each session uses discussion questions to help participants observe Scripture, understand its meaning, share their experiences, and apply biblical truth to everyday life. Rather than simply telling people what the Bible says, the question-based approach encourages participants to discover biblical truth together and talk about what it means for the Red Seas they are facing right now.

Along the way, the studies draw on insights from respected Christian pastors, Bible teachers, commentators, and writers, helping group members explore Scripture thoughtfully while keeping the conversation practical and personal.

These lessons address questions nearly every Christian eventually asks:

Why does God sometimes lead us down the long road?

What should I do when God seems silent?

How can I trust God when I cannot see a way forward?

What is the role of prayer during a crisis?

How do I deal with fear?

How do I recognize spiritual opposition without becoming obsessed with it?

Should I wait for God to act or take a step of faith?

What if God does not deliver me in the way I expect?

Can suffering actually strengthen my faith?

How can I praise God after walking through a difficult season?

Red Sea Rules is especially suited for adult small groups, home groups, Bible study classes, discipleship groups, church groups, and personal Bible study. Leaders will find plenty of material for meaningful discussion, while participants will discover practical biblical principles they can carry with them long after the study ends.

Your Red Sea may be a family problem, financial pressure, uncertainty about the future, a difficult relationship, a career decision, disappointment, grief, or a situation that simply seems impossible. Whatever form it takes, the lesson of Exodus remains: God has not lost control.

Sometimes the place that looks like a dead end becomes the place where God teaches us to trust Him most.

Study Exodus 14. Ask good questions. Talk honestly about life. Learn to take the next step by faith.

And discover again that when you cannot see a way, God can still make one.