“I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him.” (Exodus 15:1-2)
We like to remember the “good old days” when life was better, simpler, more wholesome. We long for those days again. But there are certain things we wish we could forget. And sometimes those things cast such a long shadow we think we cannot escape them and have no choice but to embrace them.
The Israelites’ time as slaves in Egypt was not the good old days. Even after God had delivered them with a mighty hand through the Red Sea, they still couldn’t shake their past. When the path to the promised land looked too difficult, they were ready to return to their former life of slavery.
However, God hadn’t just put space between them and their former way of life. He had shattered it and rendered it powerless. In its place, he gave them a new life and a new identity. As God’s chosen people, they had every reason to let go of their past, rejoice in their present, and hope in the future.
Easter is our Red Sea experience. It is the day that Jesus crossed over from death to life, shattering death and rendering the devil powerless. In its place, he gives us the gift of new life and a new identity. Through faith in Jesus, we are God’s chosen people.
If the path to God’s eternal promised land looks too difficult, too out of grasp, don’t look back. Don’t long for what once was. In Christ, good days do not lie behind us. Nor does our past define us. Jesus’ resurrection means that every day is a new day, a new life, for you and me.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I praise you for you are my strength against temptation, my defense against condemnation, and the joy of my salvation. Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
