Have you ever watched "The Ten Commandments"? I hadn't until about a year ago. My question then, as when I read the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea in the Bible, was how in the world a bunch of poor ex-slaves on foot beat a bunch of warriors in chariots pulled by horses. I mean, the chariots should have been built for speed and stability. The Israelites had children and old people and all their belongings in rickety carts.
So how in the world did all the Israelites make it across the Red Sea without any of the chariots catching up with at least the slowest ones?
In the movie, I wasn't sure they were going to make it! I was on the edge of my seat, doing everything I could to push the stragglers along.
Even if they started as soon as they saw a puff of dust on the desert horizon, it seems like the fastest horses would have caught them. But it seems like there was no anticipation of pursuit and lots of commotion in the camp before they got started across the sea.
Well, in my little book, the author points out something I've always overlooked: "The pillar of cloud moved from in front of the Israelites and stood behind them. It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to one, and it gave light by night to the other" (Exodus 14:19-20). I know, I missed three entire sentences. Shoddy reading, that.
(If you're not familiar with the pillar, it was a symbol of God's presence with the Israelites. The corner stores were out of desert maps when they left Egypt, so God used the pillar to unify the Israelites and lead them to the Promised Land. It appeared as a cloud during the day and a fire at night, and was always in front of them. Except this time, when it was behind them, protecting them.)
So maybe ancient warfare included intimidation tactics, or just confidence, or maybe a gentlemen's agreement: we'll catch up with you, then we'll strike camp and rest up for the night, and in the morning, when we're fresh, we'll demolish you.
Maybe the pillar, which appeared like a cloud to the Egyptians, made their night seem longer, while appearing like firelight to the Israelites so they had the light they needed to traverse the parted sea.
I imagine the Egyptians were pretty miffed when the cloud cleared, they realized they'd overslept, and their slaves had gained some ground. I wonder if any of them were a little freaked out about the parted sea - you don't see that every day! Maybe they were so mad they just went full speed ahead.
Anyway - enough speculation. The point of this rule is that God's presence, in the form of the pillar, was both leading Israel and protecting it. The author of Red Sea Rules says, "For His children, He serves as both guard and guide. He both precedes us and protects us... the One who goes before, guiding the future, and the One who goes behind, [I LOVE this part] gathering up our debris, our failures, and our poor attempts at ministry, blessing us and leaving a blessing behind us for others."
In other words, He has a plan for us to follow, and when we mess it up, He can still work with us. We don't have to be perfect in our difficulties or our prosperity - in fact, I think our transparency about how God has redeemed our struggles and mistakes is WAY more powerful than when we do well. Wouldn't you rather hang out with the guy who says "I messed up, but God changed me and brought me to this new place" than with the person who says he's never messed up? Me, too. And I'd be skeptical about the "perfect" guy.
This idea of God's presence might bring up a point of difficulty for some. One of my saddest memories is visiting a long-time friend and listening to her cry because God never felt real or near to her. I don't have a magic formula for feeling God's presence. We don't get pillars of cloud and fire moving in front of our cars and resting in front of our homes. I KNOW that the Bible tells us very clearly that God is omnipresent - present everywhere. But we have so many distractions, and it takes intention and discipline to remember that He's always right beside us.
[Pet peeve of mine: the common Christian prayer asking God to go with us. An unnecessary request, since He's everywhere all the time, AND "lives in the heart" of every believer. We should be praying for an awareness of His constant presence. If you're not a Christian, this might sound like a creepy Big Brother, but it's more like having a constant source of joy, strength, wisdom, peace, etc. Very helpful when stepping through difficulty!]
Morgan, the author, offers four suggestions for increasing your awareness of God's presence:
1) Affirm His nearness. (And he includes several Bible verses, which include repetitions of my favorite "Do not be afraid" command.)
2) Visualize God's presence. (This provides both comfort and accountability - in case you're tempted to do something that will increase your difficulty... harder to do if you remember that God is right there.)
3) Access God's nearness with prayer. (As long as He's right there, talk to Him about what's going on. This is action-oriented, not feeling-oriented, so even if you can't FEEL His presence, you're still acting on the FACT that He's there. Soapbox: I think we base too much on feelings rather than facts, and get led astray by the ebb and flow of emotions, causing us more trouble than we need. Ever been there??)
4) Reflect His presence in your demeanor. (This sounds really fancy. The idea is: if God is right here, whatever I'm doing, whether it's changing diapers in yesterday's pjs or giving a TED talk to millions, it can be an act of service to God. In other words, "whatever you do, do your work wholeheartedly for the Lord" - Colossians 3:23.)
I hope you're enjoying these rules and finding encouragement in them. To be perfectly honest, I'm feeling preachy and like 10 days is overkill. And like you might benefit more and get through all of this faster by just reading the book. But I will finish, if for no other reason than to reinforce these ideas in my head. Hopefully it will also give you some nuggets to use as you navigate your own life challenges. Stay the course, friend! <3
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