3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
Exodus 15:3-4
Moses, a refugee from Egypt, wanted for murder, was told by God to return to Egypt and lead the people of Israel to a promised land. Hollywood has made multiple movies that have caught the imagination of generations. In the confrontation that follows, Pharaoh finally relents and “lets my people go!” They start marching out but run into a huge roadblock, the Red Sea. The people dispair in there new found freedom and Moses’ leadership ability. Modern cynics doubt the depth of the water or the color of the sea. It is so easy to be armchair critics from our modern setting of freedom and democracy. But for the people of Israel, it was a huge challenge, perhaps equivalent to Covid or one of our modern wars.
God led the people through this crisis by parting the water so the people could pass and then bringing the water back together over the chariots of Pharaoh chasing them. Moses led the people in singing the above verse. He describes God as a warrior. Most of us have never walked through the Red Sea but we have faced challenges that seemed impossible. Perhaps it was a test we felt doomed to fail. Perhaps it was a bill we were sure we could not pay. Hopefully it was not a medical diagnosis with little chance of recovery. Standing by the bedside of a loved one fighting for life is like facing the Red Sea. Life looks impossible. For me it has been facing the Red Sea of the death of my husband and overwhelmed at what life might look like. You know your challenge.
Moses says that God can be described as a warrior. God fights for us against the forces of evil. Moses does not deny the existence of evil nor does he deny the horrible challenge of the battle with the devasting results, death of soldiers. But the verse reminds us that we are not alone and the power of God is fighting with us. God does not remove the evil, not yet anyway, and journies with us, maing us stronger. He knows our fears and he knows how the enemy will be defeated. Let’s praise his name today and pray for the many “war zones” in our world as the Spirit lays it on our heart.
On the Way to Wonder 