January 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt, they were in great peril. In front of them were the waters of the Red Sea and behind them was the approaching army of Pharaoh. Every avenue of escape was blocked and they had no place to turn. Years later the psalmist Asaph composed a song reflecting on what happened—God displayed His majesty, compassion and love at the Red Sea. An event that took place years earlier provided answers to questions that troubled the psalmist’s soul.

When doors start shutting around us, we tend to panic and think there is no way out. But the LORD, in His own unique way, opens a door for His people. His ways are holy and are revealed in His sanctuary (Psalm 77:13). They are set apart from human ways. At the Red Sea, God opened a way of salvation by cutting out an unusual path for His people. He divided the waters and created a dry corridor in the middle of the sea. “Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.” (Psalm 77:19) God brought into motion the forces of nature to fulfil His purpose. Those are His footsteps. God makes a path where no human would expect it.

The footprints of the Lord through the Red Sea are unseen. No archaeologist will find any trace of them. In the same way the footprints of the Lord in history cannot always be traced. When we stand on the other side of an event, we are able to see how the Lord was there.

No human being can imitate the path our God takes through history. He leaves His footprints on the face of the earth in His own unique manner. Many times the Lord’s people do not see His footprints; it takes eyes of faith to see God’s steps in the Red Sea, in the hot sands of the desert, at the cross of Golgotha and at every point in history. With God’s Word as a lamp to our feet and a guide on our path we can, and we must, follow the footprints of the Lord.

There are times when we do not know where God is leading us. Yet we believe God is making a path for His people. We live by faith and not by sight. And when the road gets very difficult and we find it hard to walk on in faith, we can be sure that He will pick us up in His mighty arms and carry us!