Power Up

“I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.

Exodus 14:4

The Israelites were only days into their escape from Egypt, having been enslaved for 430 years. No one in that generation had ever been free, nor had they ever known a free person among their people. They had not imagined ever being free.

As they left Egypt in the middle of the night, can you imagine the mix of emotions? Elation, fear, hope, fear, relief, fear, excitement, fear, expectation, fear.

They had been on this emotional roller coaster for some time now. Moses and Aaron had been making their case to Pharaoh, who had acquiesced several times, only to change his mind and keep the people enslaved. Hopes had been awakened only to be dashed. With several of those experiences under their belts, perhaps it had become harder for the Israelites to live with expectation.

Have you ever been afraid to hope? I think that’s where many of the Israelites found themselves. Then came the night that would redefine their lives and would divide their history into before and after. The whole nation left slavery. They didn’t sneak away with just the clothes on their backs. They marched out with all their belongings and their livestock and great wealth the Egyptians had given them as they left. It had to have been a sight to see—the glory of God on parade.

Then, suddenly, it looked as if God had led them into a trap. They were sitting ducks with no way of escaping. Hemmed in, with the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh’s army closing in from behind, the Israelites felt their jubilation plunge into despair. Again.

But in retrospect, every dashed hope, every unexpected twist was part of God’s deliberate plan. Everything was perfectly positioned so that the only explanation for what would take place was the mighty hand of God.

Are you in the place where the Israelites were? Is all escape cut off, all hope lost? Trust God and wait for him to display his power in your life.

Almighty God, I’m standing still and watching for your salvation. Show me your power.

The danger may exceed thy resistance, but not God’s assistance.

Abraham Wright(1611–1690), English pastor and writer