Loving God of solutions and remedies, bless the life of this dear reader in whatever challenges and opportunities they may have; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 14:19 The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. 20 The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn't come near each other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split. 22 The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. 23 The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. 24 It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. 25 He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud. The Egyptians said, "Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!" 26 God said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen." 27 Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh's army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived. 29 But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. 30 God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, 31 and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses. (The Message)
This is precisely the story that drove someone, and it probably had to be a preacher, who invented the story about the little boy who went home after Sunday school and relayed to his parents (remember when both parents and children went to Sunday school?) how Moses defeated Pharoah: "Moses called in air support and the fighter jets came in and strafed the Egyptian army. Then Moses sent tanks to flank both sides of the enemy and they opened fire with their big cannons; meanwhile the engineers used this distraction to build a pontoon bridge across this Red Sea and they crossed it using that bridge and won the war!" One of the parents said, "Is that how it really happened?" The little boy said, "No, but you wouldn't believe it the way my Sunday school teacher told it to me."
If you trust in God, God will sometimes amaze us with ways we cannot describe. If you walk with God, God will lead you to amazing places. And not everyone will be impressed. And the sad part is that you might forget all that God did that was amazing and spectacular and ask God, What have you done for me lately? And if you don't hear the answer you like you might walk off again in the wrong direction. That's what Israel did, though the last verse in this passage ends on a positive faith note. God's power is undescribable. God has the might to do what we might call miracles and does, every day in different ways in our lives and in the lives of others. Whether we acknowledge them or not is not God's fault. But imagine if you had "reverent wonder" as this version of the Bible says in 2 Peter 1:6, you might see your "Red Sea" open and your "enemy" disappear. After all, the Exodus story is our story as well. The call and love from God to Israel is the same for you and me. Why not trust in God and walk with God today?
PRAYER: Loving God, open my eyes to the presence of Your wonder. May my Red Seas open and may my enemies be blessed. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
