Open Heavens 15 March 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:2
Read: Exodus 14:21-31 (KJV)
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Bible in One Year: Number 30-31, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
MESSAGE
In the Bible, the Red Sea symbolises persistent obstacles and difficult barriers standing on our way to the Promised Land. Within 24 hours of their deliverance from 400 years of slavery, the people of Israel were confronted with an unusual problem. They suddenly discovered that their supposedly dead enemy had resurrected and was hotly chasing after them. They faced a serious dilemma as the army of Egypt was on their tail while the Red Sea was ahead of them. The people of God obviously left Egypt with a sense of victory in their hearts, thinking that the journey to the Promised Land would be fast and easy. They would have felt a sense of euphoria, especially after witnessing the way God had dealt with their oppressors. Their focus was now set on getting to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey without any further hindrance. But here they were at the Red Sea. They would drown if they continued, but they could not retreat because the Egyptian army was coming from behind, ready to slaughter them. To them it was a totally hopeless situation. What was the state of their faith at this point? Exodus 14:11-12 says,
“11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”
The people of God were so threatened that they verbalised their preference to return to slavery, thereby rejecting God’s love and abandoning His plan of freedom for their lives. The devil always threatens and harasses people with the sole aim of pushing them to give up on God and themselves. I pray for you today: no matter what you are passing through, you will never lose your faith in God or surrender your dreams to the devil in Jesus’ Name.
When you are passing through a seemingly hopeless situation, you need to recognise that the Lord’s solutions are always bigger than your thoughts can comprehend. Isaiah 55:9 says,
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Do you know that beyond your wildest imagination, God has perfected a plan that will launch you into your destiny? All you need to do is to stand firm. The Lord will soon destroy your enemies and give you a fresh start on your journey to your promised land in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point: Father, please strengthen my faith in the days of trial and adversity in Jesus’ Name.
Hymn 10: My Faith Looks Up To Thee
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!
2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!
3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!
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