Meditation

Read Exodus 14:15-22

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back … and turned it into dry land … and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. Exodus 14:21-22 (NIV)

The year 2018 was one of enormous change for me. My daughter was born, and both of my grandmothers died within a three-month period. After constant prayer I came to the conclusion that the best way to find peace and rest is always to raise our hands in praise and prayer to God.

When the Egyptians were closing in on the Israelites after Moses led them out of Egypt, God commanded Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea to part the waters. After decades in bondage and slavery it would have been easy for Moses to decline in fatigue, doubt, or anger. Instead of allowing the situation to defeat him and his people, Moses chose to listen to God. He raised his staff and stretched his hand over the water. This one act of obedience opened the window for a miracle and delivered the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh.

When we choose to worship God no matter our circumstances, God can do things that to the world seem impossible. No matter how exhausted we are under the weight of our struggle, God does not want us to despair. God is with us as we persevere.

Prayer: Faithful God, give us the strength to lift our hands to you when we are weak from struggle. Amen.

Thought for the day: Praising God through my struggles helps lead me through them.

—Zach Schaar, Ohio