Day 3: Renewal
Illustration
In Exodus 14, we read how God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and how they were now facing the Red Sea in front of them and Pharoah's pursuing army behind. The Israelites were terrified and trembling; they were murmuring against God and complaining to Moses. They said, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?" (Exodus 14:11).
But in the very next chapter, Exodus 15, we see the Israelites had gone from trembling to worshipping, from complaining to praising.
Exodus 15:2 (NIV) The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
What brought about this renewal of their minds, this great transformation in them, to where they changed from grumbling to praising?
God had rescued and saved them from destruction at the hand of Pharaoh's army and from drowning in the Red Sea.
Exodus 14:24-25 (NIV) During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
In Exodus 15, the Israelites were reveling in what God had accomplished on their behalf, how He fought for them, how He supernaturally delivered them. The contemplation of His work on their behalf renewed and transformed them. They went from terror in feeling trapped to fervor in worship, from trembling to praising.
Contemplating how Jesus fought for you on the cross and secured your victory through resurrection power will bring renewal to you too.