Crossroads Junction
“I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2).
crossroads-trouble/crisis
We humans rarely think about God unless we are in trouble. God’s specialty is helping those who call out to Him in crisis. The nation of Israel is a fine example. We can learn a lot from these people as their history unfolds in Scripture.
In one instance, the Israelites had just been freed from slavery in Egypt. About 600,000 men and their families had left Egypt in a hurry. The Egyptians had said “Good Riddance!”
Tragedy
Mysteriously, the firstborn in every Egyptian household had died simultaneously on the same night. That weird tragedy was the last in a series of unnatural disasters. Blood, frogs, lice, flies, sickness, sores, hail, locusts, and darkness pummeled the Egyptian economy over a period of weeks. The death of every firstborn child was personally devastating. That became the catalyst to allow their slave labor force to leave permanently.
A New Road Ahead
It’s one thing to go on vacation. It’s another matter to move. Whether we are temporarily leaving home for a fun time away or going someplace else to live, it helps to have some goal in mind. The Israelites knew they were moving away from Egypt but they had no clue about their destination. Thankfully, God did.
Plans Change
Their slave population had been gone only a day or two, and the Egyptians were still reeling from their losses. Now they had regrets about letting their wonderful workers depart. Perhaps they could reverse course and get them back! Overtaking their former Hebrew slaves was a breeze with 600 chariots and expert horsemen to drive them.
Israelites Protected by Fog
The small Egyptian army found those they hoped to recapture sprawled by the sea. The night was overtaking both parties. Fog developed between the two groups so thick the Egyptians could not see the Israelites. Not having boats to get to the other side of the sea, the Israelites were trapped. The Egyptians would surely capture them at daybreak; not a pleasant thought.
God makes a Way
At that moment God used His power to turn the sea into a highway. During the night the Israelite camp of people and their large number of livestock walked on the congealed seabed as though it were a road. The water parted and functioned as walls, helping direct their path to the other shore. By daybreak, the Israelites and all their animals had made their way over to the other side.
Egyptians Pursue
The Egyptians looked the situation over, greedily longing to get their hands on their former slaves. They plunged into the seabed, so congealed it was hard enough for their chariots, horses, and men to navigate it. They all made it into the sea, the water behaving like walls on either side of them.
Israelites watch in amazement
Meanwhile, the Israelites watched in safety on the other side. They observed the waters of the sea return to normal. It was a sight to behold, seeing the water continually rise higher than the tallest of the Egyptians and horses. Frantically clawing for air, they disappeared beneath the waters of the sea.
Free No Longer Slaves
Now the Israelites were freer than they had been when they left Egypt. Not only were they no longer slaves, but their former enemies who had been so merciless to them were dead, drowned in the sea!
Rejoicing
With this sight fresh in their minds, the Israelites began to dance and sing praises to the LORD. The song lyrics are recorded for us. “I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2).
God Helps In Time of Crisis
In this story we find God helping the Israelites in their time of crisis. This is a worst-case scenario. Our mindset seems to limit us to call on God only when we are in crisis mode.
I Can’t But He Can
The issue could be we are blind to our need for His help before we get in deep water over our heads. It is difficult for us to realize we are always needy. So many of our needs we can meet by going to the store or bank, or with our own ingenuity.
Knowing God who knows our needs
The more we grow in our relationship with God, the better we see the extent of our need for Him. This fuels a great desire to be with Him so we can get to know Him better.
Reflect a deeper Walk
Then the journal of our lives reflects a deeper walk with God, which others see. Seeing God at work in our lives is attractive to non-Christians, and encouraging to other believers.
Crossroads
We are always standing at “Crossroads Junction.” May we turn to God more often and seek Him in the mundane so we will be more ready when a crisis occurs.
Shirley Logsdon
