Does God feel far away? Do you feel alone and afraid? Does life seem dark?
At one point I answered "yes" to each of
these questions. Following a tragic incident in my life, fear filled my
heart. God seemed so distant and I felt completely alone.
During that very dark time, God lead me to
the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. Initially,
Pharaoh agreed to let God's people go, but soon after they left, he
changed his mind. He began to pursue them with 600 of his best chariots.
The approaching army terrified the Israelites. They cried out to their
leader, Moses.
Moses reminded the people of God's promise
that He would deliver them. But circumstances barreling toward them said
otherwise. The Israelites heard the rumbling of the chariots charging
at them. They saw a huge body of water blocking their only escape.
Can you imagine their fear? The reality they
knew was that Pharaoh's finest soldiers were pursuing them, and there
was a colossal obstacle, the Red Sea, preventing their escape. God's
people had no idea the miracle awaiting them.
When Moses stretched out his hand over the water, Scripture says, "...all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it to dry land" (Exodus 14:21b NIV). Because it was dark, the Israelites couldn't quite see what God was doing.
In the black of night, the Lord tirelessly worked on behalf of His children to deliver them, just as He had promised.
It's as if the words of this story leapt off
the pages of Scripture and into my desolate heart. Although the
Israelites could not see or hear God, He was moving in the midst of
their darkness. I too could not "see" or "feel" God, but He was at work
around me in invisible ways - present and active on my behalf to carry
me through my bleak place.
In the dark, we have two choices. We can take
matters into our own hands, turning to drugs or alcohol to numb the
pain, seeking advice or reading the latest self-help book, never knowing
if any of them is the way to healing and wholeness. Or we can look to
God. We can open His Word, knowing He guarantees healing and wholeness.
Would you like the truth of God's Word to
come alive for you? Would you like Him to come alongside you? You need
only ask. The Lord promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13
NIV). Like He was for the Israelites, He is there for us. And He is
always working on our behalf, even when we can't see or feel Him.
Today, if you are in the darkness; if your
circumstances are threatening to consume you; if you feel utterly
defeated... seek the Lord. Ask Him to rescue you and remember this, He
is there... parting your "Red Sea" even now.
Dear
Heavenly Father, it is so difficult to walk through darkness. You feel
so far away. I feel so alone. Thank You for the promise that You will
never leave me or forsake me, and that there is nothing in all creation
that will ever separate me from the love I have in You and in Your Son.
Walk ever so closely with me during this darkness, Lord. Speak to me.
Give me hope. Show me the treasures in my darkness. In Jesus' Name,
Amen.(Wendy Blight)
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