From Egypt to Promise Land
Exodus 14:12-22
Note: This post is broken into two parts! Skip to Part II below if you're looking for the Exodus 14:12-22 break down!
PART I - PRESENT TESTIMONY / ENCOURAGEMENT
These last four months have brought a great shaking, uprooting, redefining, transforming, redirecting and recommissioning in my life — in that order! I don't know if I have ever felt so accomplished yet confused, rested yet exhausted, excited yet mournful, in my life.
As things would start to settle, they would quickly change again. And though I was excited for what the Lord was doing, my head swarmed with the question of unknowns for an again changing reality. Instead of peace and clarity, there was an increase of anxiety and confusion. I began asking, "Where has this left me? What are my next steps? What do I return to? What do I move on from?" I found myself hesitant to move forward at all -- even in the dreams that the Lord had clearly laid on my heart for this new season. Was I still heading in the direction of my "promise land"? Was everything I heard in the season of transformation really what God was asking of me for such a time as this?
As I went through this roller coaster of emotions, my sweet friend brought a voice of stillness and shared this encouragement with me.
"He sees what you're feeling. He's not blind to it. He's known about it even before you experienced it. He knew that you would be in this moment even before you were born. He knew that you would be dealing with these emotions. He knew that you would step into this new season, and He already made a way to help you through it -- to lead you through it in victory. It says that God leads us forward in triumphal procession. ("But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him." 2 Corinthians 2:14 [AMP]) He doesn't leave us down, but He lifts us up and leads us forward. He is your Healer. He is your Peace. He is your Life. He is your Love. He is everything that you need in this moment and more. There are good things coming. This tension doesn't define your purpose. This tension doesn't define this season. The pain doesn't define this season. It's not going to define it for you. God's not done. He's not finished." So good, right?! (Surround yourself with friends like this. If you need a friend like this, let me know. We can pray for it together!)
"The pain doesn't define this season. It's not going to define it for you. God's not done. He's not finished."
As I continued to pour out my heart to God, I kept hearing, "Everything's changed. Don't go back to Egypt. Moses stepped into the water and then the sea parted. Go beyond what is clear to you now. I am making a way. Step into the promised land."
Each time I asked, "What do You want me to do? Can I do this? How about this?" His response was,"Live the life you've always imagined. The sky is the limit. You are free in Christ. You are free to be. When you abide in Me as your Papa, your will will be My will. Watch as I bless you not because of what you do, but because of who I am and who you are in relation to Me. I really, really love you. I want what's BEST for you."
"I want what's BEST for you." - God
I started seeing the same Bible verses everywhere.
Habakuk 2:2-3 [AMP] - "Then the Lord answered me and said, 'Write the vision and engrave it plainly on [clay] tablets so that the one who reads it will run. For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time. It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, because it will certainly come; it will not delay.'"
2 Corinthians 3:17 [AMP] -"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]."
2 Corinthians 4:18 [AMP] -"So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable."
He was speaking to my heart so clearly, "It's not time to stop. It's time to fly. It's time to walk by faith into this new territory. Trust Me."
"It's not time to stop. It's time to fly."
PART II - FROM EGYPT TO PROMISE LAND
Exodus 14:12-22
"12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Much like the Israelites, I was starting to ask God the question of, "Wouldn't it have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert?" We all can insert our own "Egypt / Egyptians" here. Egypt may be a job, a ministry, a lifestyle, a friendship, a relationship, etc.
Exodus 13:17-18 says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle."
God knew in advance that the Israelites might want to change their minds and return to Egypt. He knew when leading them out of slavery into freedom that in the face of war, they might retreat. So God took them the long way.
I've found that in new territory, when there are battles different than what we are used to, sometimes in the face of an enemy we think it would be best to turn back. What this verse shows us is that there are times when the solution to our desire to turn around is to instead take another step forward. When the enemy wants us to turn around, it is because we are moving in the direction that God wants us to go. This is why it's so important to know His voice. It is so we can discern the difference between the voice of a Father who loves us and wants our success and an enemy whose plot is to kill, steal, and destroy us.
"When the enemy wants us to turn around, it is because we are moving in the direction that God wants us to go."
Referencing verse 14:19 it says, "Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel."
Exodus 13:21-22 says, "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people."
This means that when the pillar of cloud moved from the front and stood behind them, this was the first time that they would have seen the pillar that guided them no longer in front of them. Imagine how this would have felt to the Israelites. Maybe they were wondering, "Should we be turning around?" If it were me, I may have felt like I no longer had clear direction or maybe like God really had left me to die in the desert.
But what was God's perspective? He knew that this pillar would come between the army of Egypt and Israel. He knew that throughout the night, the cloud would bring darkness to one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. It was for their protection that the cloud went behind them! God's vision for our future is much clearer than our vision. We can trust Him when the cloud is before us just as much as when the cloud is behind us.
"God's vision for our future is much clearer than our vision. We can trust Him when the cloud is before us just as much as when the cloud is behind us."
There will be times God takes us the long way through the desert with a guiding cloud and there will be times He parts the waters, giving us a clear, dry path to walk on. In each example, He is faithful. He is leading us to the promise land. His intent for us is always good.
"He is leading us to the promise land. His intent for us is always good."
Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Proverbs 16:3 - "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."
John 20:29 - "Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me]."
So today, in the face of whatever you're processing, I want to encourage you to not be afraid. Stand firm and trust that we will see the deliverance that the Lord will bring -- today, tomorrow, and in the time to come. When God says that He is going before us, He really means it. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Destination: Promise land.
With love,
Abi
Written on July 29th, 2020