Discover His heart: Remember His power to deliver
Several years ago my uncle did a great favor for me, my siblings and cousins. As a gift to our grandparents, he officially documented their passage through Ellis Island to the United States when they arrived from Italy over a century ago. Because of this, I was able to visit Ellis Island a few years ago and view the record of their entrance and see their names inscribed on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. It was a touching moment for me as I remembered the courage of my young grandparents as they embarked on a journey of new discoveries that certainly affected the course of my life. It’s good to understand and to remember our heritage.
@ Exodus 13
“And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.’” (13:14) Immediately after the escape from Egypt, God gave Moses some instructions for the Israelites in light of their new-found freedom: give your first-born sons to God because He spared their lives in the escape from Egypt and buy them back through the sacrifice of a young lamb or goat. I would imagine the children in the future would want to know what that was all about. It was about remembering, remembering all God had done, “This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.” (16).
This story causes me to wonder if I have adequately shared with my children the story of my deliverance from slavery, the slavery of sin, and the day the Lamb was sacrificed in my stead. What happened that day to draw me to Him? Where did it occur? How did I feel? Remembering…forever marking their hand or forehead in remembrance of His great power to deliver, and one day passing it on to their children and their children’s children along with their own stories of deliverance.
“The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and He provided light at night with a pillar of fire.” (21) A pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire to guide their every step! Come on! How could they go wrong? But they did. We may think that if we had visible guidance from God like this, we would never take a misstep. But then, we do have His guidance. We hold in our hands the Bible, the tangible Word of God that brings guidance and direction through the work of the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and keep us on the right path. How could we go wrong? But we can.
Just like the Israelites, we may take for granted the wonderful gift of His direction regardless of how it comes to us, or we may look for a new word, possibly a word with a face. But for certain, remembering how He has directed His people in the past through the living Word of God and remembering how He has led us will help to keep us on the right path.
@ Exodus 14
As the 2 million Israelites stood wedged between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, panic ensued. In verse 11 they cried, “Why did you make us leave Egypt? We said, ‘leave us alone!’” Huh? Had they already forgotten the miracle night of their escape? “But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.’” (13) And of course, He miraculously rescued them that day, split that sea wide open and they crossed on dry ground.
What wonderful words for us today! Regardless of how tightly we are wedged between our challenges with no obvious way out, we can remember, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.”
Moving Forward: Today I remember the story of my deliverance, retelling it to my children, and look to my pillar of cloud and fire for guidance – the Living Word. Unafraid in my circumstances, I will just stand still and watch…
Tomorrow @ II Samuel 1-4
Phyllis Benigas 