September 19 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Twice these verses draw our attention to what "Israel saw."

The eyes of these people had seen horrible things. They had seen their comrades beaten to death by the Egyptian slave drivers. Through their tears, they had seen their boys drowned in the Nile. When their ears heard the words of Moses, their eyes saw only increased oppression as the loads were made heavier by the servants of Pharaoh. The look in their eyes became very painful and very weary.

But now their feet are on the shore, and their eyes see the Egyptians. All the unrighteousness is washed away in God's flood, and they lived to see it! They see the hand of God, the Lord of Israel, who is also Lord over the Egyptians. The Savior had done a mighty work. In the past they had seen and felt the crushing power of Pharaoh's hand. Now they see "the great power the lord displayed against the Egyptians."

Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
to make his mighty power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.
He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them....
Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.
—Psalm 106:8-10, 12

There are rare moments in our lives when we too may see the hand of God—outstanding occasions when we see with our own eyes that God reigns over death and sickness; God converts sinners and brings his enemies to their knees.

But most of the time we live by faith. In his wisdom and for his own reasons, God makes us wait—and wait. When God finally arises, his enemies and ours will be scattered. And Zion will sing her song. We are free! Free at last! Thank God!

REFLECTIONS

Perhaps you've had one of those "rare moments when you saw the hand of God"? If so, what did you learn from your experience?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.