Day 34

As I was reading today, all that kept coming to mind was the law of movement. God blesses movement. Read on to see.

God gave more instructions to the Israelites in Chapter 13. I wonder about the significance of unleavened bread.

God also didn’t lead the Israelites through the shorter route because he knew they’d return to Egypt if they faced war from the Philistines. Isn’t it amazing how God wants the best for them and ensures he orders their steps to fulfil his covenant with their forefathers?

14:4 — I’ll gain honour at the expense of Pharaoh, and the Egyptians would know I am the Lord. Was God trying to ‘show’ himself? My conclusion is, He was. He had said this in previous readings, and today, he said, ‘… and the Egyptians will know I am the Lord’.

Despite all the signs Moses did, the Israelites still complained. Didn’t they believe that with all those signs, God was with them? There was the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night! At the sight of the first challenge, the Israelites complained about leaving Egypt. The fantastic thing about the events of the bible is that they are relatable. How often have we been brought out of a situation, and when challenges come, we are quick to forget everything good that has happened and focus on how great our comfort zone was. This happens when we don’t count our blessings. A gratitude journal is an excellent way to count our blessings daily.

I like that Moses assured them that God is with them. The Lord said to him, ‘why do you cry out to me? Tell the people to get moving.’ Guys, get moving! One may wonder why God didn’t just clear the red sea instead of asking Moses to lift his rod and stretch out his hands. Moses had a part to play in everything that happened, including the plagues. God works through us! This is something I have repeated to myself over and over. We always have our parts to play. Faith is active, and God cannot bless steps we are unwilling to take. He would use what we have to get what we want or where we need to go. Get moving with what you have, and the path becomes more apparent.

Pharaoh chased after the Israelites, and it was too late when he and his entourage decided to turn back. They eventually drowned. Quite sad, and this happens when we don’t let go. We drown in situations that could have otherwise been different. A thought — what was happening to the other parts of the world while God was fighting for the Israelites? 🤔 I can also imagine if then was now — what headlines would have been on the likes of CNN, the streets of Twitter would be something else.

After the Israelites crossed the red sea, they sang praises to God. I imagine their joy! On a lighter note, sometime in 2017, I was at the red sea in Egypt. It was surreal. Looking at the stretch of the bank, I wondered if I was at the exact path the Israelites took. The thought gave me bumps. I recall joking aloud that God, would you part this sea for me? I’m sure God must have been like, ‘You’ve got jokes’. 😃 But stepping into that sea gave me bumps.

The roller coaster of emotions. Once again, the Israelites complained about not having water. God showed up again. It is easy to forget the blessings that have come into our lives in our low moments, including immediate past ones. We can easily say the Israelites were difficult to please or not understand why they were complaining about things, but this is how we are. My highlights studying the word are the takeaways from each of these stories, how I can be better, and God’s nature.