...with the Lord...

“31 Then the Lord summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, ‘Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord, as you said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And bring a blessing on me too!’

The Exodus: From Rameses to Succoth

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hasten their departure from the land, for they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’ 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading-bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing, 36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians. 37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds. 39 They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

40 The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord 

went out from the land of Egypt. 42 That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

Directions for the Passover

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised; 45 no bound or hired servant may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 The whole congregation of Israel shall celebrate it. 48 If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the Lord, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; 49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.

50 All the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 That very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company”

Exodus 12:31-51.

Dear friends, I am struck by the final verse. The morning after the Passover night was the time that the Israelites grouped together as an army and started on their exodus journey, evening and morning being a single day in the ancient calculation. What strikes me is this: whenever we go through trauma in our lives — and we ALL do so — the morning after arrives as it always does. I just experienced the tragic and completely unexpected death of one of my children, Andrew, and the morning after arrived as it always does for us all. I can only imagine how difficult it was for the Israelites to begin to live again after all they had been through. 

Whenever we go through very tough times in life — and we all do — the morning after arrives, and we are compelled to pull up our trousers and continue on in life. We all have to do this in one way our another. but the only way I can imagine doing this is with the Lord.

So today, in your prayer, no matter where you find yourself in your life this day, take time in your prayer and ask the Lord to give you His strength to do it with the Lord. To try to continue on without the Lord is the worst way to go. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.