(Exodus 14:15-31) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. 22 The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 At the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.
From this we see:
- God is all-powerful
- God protects His chosen
- God wants us to trust Him
Personal experience: while living in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in el barrio de San Turce - after that close call below the forts - and after being warned and educated by the mission staff about all the possible dangers of the area - I very quickly learned how to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. As well, so as not to "tempt" God, I practiced wise safety precautions at all times. And even with that, I found myself in some scary situations. Yet somehow in those moments, I was never afraid. God had brought me to this mission field, and so I had to trust God to move me onward in whatever circumstance.
On one particular evening, I went out to hit a tennis ball against the side of a building in a (supposedly) guarded and gated parking lot. This was how I usually exercised at the end of the day. About 30 minutes into my workout, a young man stood watching me, blocking the only way of escape. I knew of his intentions when he started to approach me with his pants already unzipped.
I asked God for protection, then gathered up my tennis ball, and held onto my tennis racket very tightly - ready for battle if need be. But I never needed to take any action. God took care of everything. I literally felt a canopy of protection surrounding me as I calmly walked right past the guy. I watched him closely as I went through the narrow gap. I was not even an arm's length away from him, but it was like he was frozen. I mean, completely FROZEN. His eyes didn't even move. A person cannot help but move their eyes when something passes by them - but - HIS EYES DIDN'T MOVE OR EVEN BLINK!!!
Now, I have to confess, as soon as I rounded the corner of the main building, I ran!!! When I got to the gate of the apartment building entrance, I noticed that the main gate to the parking lot was still closed and locked, but the guard was no where to be seen. It wasn't until I was safely inside the building and my apartment walls that I could process everything I had just experienced.
Now, as an obedient Christian, will nothing bad (like rape) ever happen to someone? I cannot answer that, and I'm not about to judge anyone on their level of spirituality. I know I have been sexually harassed in the past, even when I had been praying for protection. Would it have been much worse had I not been praying? Probably.
Today's takeaway: what's that saying? If God brings you to it, He'll get you through it. Sounds so cliche-ish, but... it is true! whenever God asks us to do something, we have to trust Him that He will equip us and give us what we need to accomplish His will...
(2 Peter 1:1b-8) To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Hebrews 13:20-21) Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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