Watching God Make a Way When I Can't See One - Your Nightly Scripture - September 5th
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Watching God Make a Way When I Can’t See One
Evening Scripture
Exodus, Chapter 14
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and 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.” So the Israelites did this.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Moses answered the people, “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.
Evening Reflection
Humans are firm believers in the laws of this world. We are quick to assert that something is impossible. There is no doubt in our minds that gravity will keep us on Earth, or our lungs will convert the atmosphere into life on our behalf. As we grow, we observe the laws of nature, and we respect them. They set order in an otherwise chaotic world. God set these laws in motion. He is the one who tells the waters of the oceans to stop, for waves to crash, and land to begin. The predictability of nature is a comfort; it helps us understand the bounds of this existence and make sense of our humanity. There are times when we are too quick to see only limitations. While God set our world in motion, we cannot forget that He also has the power to miraculously intervene when He sees fit.
This was the case with the Israelites, who had been trapped in slavery for much too long. God became impatient with their oppression and made a way for his people to find freedom. God sent plagues that defied the rules of nature to show his power and might. Eventually, the Pharaoh reluctantly let the Israelites go, but even after bearing witness to God’s great power and wrath, he still sent his Chariots after the escaping crowds of people. God once again made the impossible possible, pulling back the waters of the sea so his people could escape.
Are you waiting for God to pull back the waters on your behalf? Do you anticipate God doing the impossible so you can make it to the Promised Land? Or have you given up hope, lacking the faith of a mustard seed that can move mountains? It’s easy to lose hope. To believe what others have always said about you. To succumb to your circumstances. God invites us to trust him in all things, believing that he will make our path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). You are invited to watch with anticipation as God makes a way when you and others cannot see one.
Evening Prayer
God,
We believe that you are greater than the laws of nature. That you can do abundantly above and beyond all we could think, ask, or imagine. We do not give up hope, but we trust that you are working even when we can’t see it yet. In our moments of despair, remind us of the Israelites who you saw, you loved, and you moved the sea so they could find freedom. Move my sea, Jesus, make a way for me. Help me find my Promised Land.
Amen.
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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
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