As many of you know, i am currently writing a novel about the faithfulness of God as seen through the eyes of the Israelite spy – Caleb. In the course of my writing, i am endeavoring to see the events of the exodus and the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land through his eyes. One of those events is the magnificent display of God’s power at the Red Sea.
You and i can only imagine what that day was like. The most powerful army on the face of the earth in that day was advancing on the Israelites to attack them. The sea was at their backs. And they were trapped in between. There was nowhere to turn. They were gripped by terror and fear. i am mindful that most of us – if not all of us – have had that moment where we are standing between an approaching enemy and an unmovable obstacle. Some of you may be in that very place right now. Allow me to share a few excerpts from my writings of their experience:
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…Then Moses called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. Watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (Exodus 14:13-14).
…The pillar of cloud moved abruptly and now stood between us and the approaching Egyptians, who we could no longer see. They were dwarfed and completely eclipsed from our sight by the sheer magnitude of the cloud. The shouts and cries from our people began to subside as our fear of the Egyptians turned to a reverent fear of our ominous God. Even the most faithless among us knew that our God had just stepped between us and our enemy.
As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire. As awesome as the pillar appeared when it was in the form of a cloud, it couldn’t compare to its form as a pillar of fire. On our side, the pillar presented as a guiding light to illuminate our path. It was a light in the midst of our darkness. But we could see from its outer contours that the other side of that pillar presented something very different. It was a consuming fire capable of destroying everything in its path. Though we could no longer see Pharaoh and his army, we knew that they were being kept at bay by the mighty power of our God.
Just then I saw Moses walk to the water’s edge. My family and I, together with all of those around us, watched to see what he was about to do. No one spoke.
…Moses raised his staff over the sea. As he did, a strong wind began to blow from behind us. The sheer force of the wind began to part the sea. But miraculously it had no effect on us or our animals. Our clothing didn’t even stir in the breeze. Then suddenly two mountainous walls emerged as the water backed up on both sides, creating a wide pathway right through the middle of the sea. As the wind continued to blow, the seabed became dry land.
…There was an audible gasp throughout the camp as we looked at this miraculous sight. Moses called for us to make our way to the other side. But our eyes were on the walls of water on both sides of the pathway. What if those walls came crashing down on us when we got to the center of the lake? We would perish! We knew that God had made the path – but did we trust Him enough to walk through the path?
… Slowly we stepped off the shore onto the pathway. Initially the walls of water were only a few inches high, but as we continued further into the seabed the walls quickly became taller than us – soon approaching the height of the pyramids of Egypt. The strong winds continued to blow – not only parting the sea, but now also gently helping us along on our journey.
Though the pathway was dry, it was also rocky. The large boulders that usually rested at the bottom of the sea now sat in the midst of our pathway. We were grateful for the light from the pillar of fire to help us see our way around them.
…The remainder of our people followed closely. Everyone’s eyes kept darting from side to side looking at the magnificent wonders, while carefully watching our steps around the rocks and trenches in the dry seabed.
…After a while my family and I saw the banks of the eastern shore ahead and we began to emerge from the deepest parts of the pathway. We all let out a collective sigh as we stepped onto the shore and moved out of the way of those who were continuing to emerge from behind us.
…The sun was just beginning to rise as we stood on the eastern bank and looked back toward the western shore. Even as the last of our people were emerging from the pathway, we could see that the pillar of fire was now returning to the form of a cloud. The cloud had moved from between us and the Egyptians, and was now standing in front of us ready to lead us on the rest of our journey.
…But to our dismay, Pharaoh and his army were now again rapidly approaching. The pathway through the sea was still there. God had not closed the pathway! Did He intend for the Egyptians to pass as well? Had we crossed the sea to now die on its eastern shore?
…The Egyptians were now at the halfway point across the sea. What should we do? Again, we began to call out… to Moses… and to God.
Just as we did, we saw that the Egyptians’ progress had stopped. They appeared to be confused about the direction in which they should be heading. The wheels of their chariots appeared to be twisting on the rocky seabed. Their horses were panicking. Some of the chariots had turned and were attempting to go back toward the western shore.
…At that moment, Moses raised his staff over the sea, the winds stopped, and the walls of water began to collapse – washing over and eliminating the pathway. The collapsing water began to crash violently down upon the Egyptians. For a moment I saw Pharaoh with his arms outstretched as if he was trying to stop the water.
…Momentarily the hysterical cries from the soldiers continued – but quickly they were silenced. There was no sign that a pathway had ever existed. …In a matter of moments God had utterly destroyed Pharaoh and the greatest army on the face of the earth.
…We stood there stunned and mute as we gazed at a body of water whose powerful surges had saved us by making a way for us, then saved us by utterly destroying the enemy that pursued us. Our terror was gone, our enemy was gone, and the night was past. Nothing was left but the stillness of a shocked people at daybreak. …Finally, we collectively exhaled.
One by one, as we overlooked the sea, we began to worship our Almighty God. Some of us fell to our knees in awe and others stood with their arms outstretched. We were now truly free! … Then we began to sing….
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With that as a backdrop, i would point you to the song “Raise a Hallelujah” (lyrics below). And know that the Lord God Jehovah goes before you as well – no matter what the enemy is that is behind you or the obstacle that is before you. The King is alive! Your Living Savior goes before you to illuminate and guide you in each and every step of the path ahead. He stands behind you as your rear guard. And He goes with you to comfort and encourage you all along the way. Victory is ultimately assured. So join with me and let’s sing a little louder!
Excerpts from Through the Eyes of a Spy (releasing March 20, 2020)
Raise a Hallelujah
I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder!
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Songwriters: Jonathan David Helser / Melissa Helser / Molly Skaggs / Jake Stevens
Raise a Hallelujah lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing