Deliverance

All of us have things that lurk in the future which cause us to have concern.  Sometimes for me it is just the unknown.  I remember our pastor saying, "you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or getting ready to go in one".  I don't know about you, but that doesn't bring me a lot of comfort.  None of us know the storms ahead.  I recently made a jump in my career.  I walked away from a position I had been in for 17 years and an industry for 22.  It was exciting, yet frightening.  When the opportunity presented itself,  something in my heart kept saying take the step.  There was one thing that repeatedly gave me comfort.  It was the fact that no matter where I was and no matter what I did, I knew my God would go before me, beside me and behind me.  Deuteronomy 1:30 "The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you..."

When I think of a perfect example of God's faithfulness for what lies ahead, I am reminded of the story in the Bible when the people fled from the Egyptians. So many times in the text of Exodus you can see the hand of God on His people.  The beauty of reading this is when you realize He will do that for us as well.  People never change and we are just like the people of Israel.  They doubted, were fearful of the future storms, and questioned God's hand.  But their great leader Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.  During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”  Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant."

God is faithful no matter what you are going through.  We all have our Egyptians to face in this life.  My favorite part of this is story when God tells them, "the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again".  Read that out loud.  Whatever you are going through today, once you get to the other side of it - you will never see it again.  Doesn't that sound comforting?  I know for me when I am in the midst of a storm, I feel like it will never end.  But they do end and we eventually get to dry ground.  And when we look behind us, we can see where our faithful Father parted the waters for us as well.  God goes before us and parts the sea and He goes behind us and drowns our enemies. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." Isaiah 43:2