Sea March

I woke up last night and didn’t know where I was. Somehow I forgot that we are on vacation. The room was very dark and the surroundings were unfamiliar. As wonderful as it was to be so deeply entrenched in sleep, I found the darkness unsettling and confusing. I have always been a little scared of the dark. I don’t feel in control when it is dark and when I wake up at 3a.m., I never breathe a sigh of relief that I can indulge in more sleep. When I see 3a.m., I am frustrated that a few hours of inactivity lie ahead.

This morning the sun climbed over the white sand and aggravated gulf. When the morning fog cleared, I could see the beach grass dance on the dunes and a bold little bird joined me on my balcony. The cautionary yellow flag from yesterday was replaced by a red warning one. The joggers were joined on the beach by some successful shell hunters who filled their buckets with fragile treasures.

As I soaked up my well-lit and beautiful beach surroundings this morning, imagine the blessing I received by discovering something new in my Old Testament reading. I am currently studying the book of Exodus. Pharaoh and Moses have been arguing back and forth. They have suffered through injustices, slavery and plagues and finally, Pharaoh has let the Israelites go. Moses has begun leading God’s chosen people out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, but God has decided to take them off the main road. Displayed as a protective cloud by day and a warming, illuminating pillar of fire by night, God led the Israelites “in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” Ex 13:18 (NLT). Pharaoh regrets his decision of release and pursues the freed Israelites, and then God saves the maligned, confused, weak and frightened Israelites. He parts the red sea and turned the seabed into dry ground so that every single Israelite makes it across safely.

What happens next, I had never noticed before. Exodus 14:24 says,

“But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.” (NLT)

And then, Exodus 14:27:

“So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea.” (NLT)

Am I the only one who never recognized that one of the most celebrated and remembered miracles of the Old Testament happened in the dark? When the Israelites were being pursued by their enemies and were frightened for their lives, they literally had to blindly trust and follow God’s lead. They had no vision or assurance of how long their treacherous sea march would be. They couldn’t see the horizon or finish line. Enemies were on their tail and walls of destruction loomed on each side. Their only hope was to focus on the pillar of fire ahead of them. They had to walk by faith and not by sight. When they reached the end, God wasn’t finished displaying His glory. As the sun rose, God destroyed their enemies in plain sight.

So many people I know and love are in the middle of a modern day sea march. They are plagued by cancer or disease. Friends are suffering the savage pursuit of enemies to their health, heart and security. The threatening walls of brokenness, confusion and grief loom high on either side. It is difficult to cling to hope when you can’t see the horizon and have no assurance of victory. The darkness can feel overwhelming.

Like the Israelites, we are called to keep our eyes trained on God’s pillar of fire ahead of us. He lights our path and directs our steps. He never leaves us. On sunny days, when our paths are clear and enemies aren’t nipping at our heels, it is easy to take our eyes off of Him. Treacherous times fine-tune our perspective so that we focus on the pillar of fire.

The sun will rise. There is victory, but remember that God is doing miraculous things in the dark. When the daylight comes, we will clearly see how magnificent His works are. Hold fast. Stand Firm. Hang in there. We are called to walk by faith… not by sight and that is such a blessing!

A Song of Deliverance

15 “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,

for he has triumphed gloriously;

he has hurled both horse and rider

into the sea.

2 

The Lord is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.

This is my God, and I will praise him—

my father’s God, and I will exalt him!

3 

The Lord is a warrior;

Yahweh is his name!”

Exodus 15:1-3