January 15 - dfree® Devotions for Financial Freedom

Verse
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Exodus 14: 21&22 (NIV)

Thought
There is an old expression that is commonly used by pessimists. It is this: "the calm before the storm." It is true that calm weather often precedes stormy weather. But it is not true that every time the weather becomes calm that stormy weather automatically follows. Sometimes calm weather is actually followed by even calmer and more pleasant weather. I try to avoid people who cannot enjoy the sunshine because they are so anxious about the rain that they believe is certainly not too far away. Just enjoy the calm while it is calm and worry about the storm when it comes.

Moses and his people had a completely different experience. Instead of a calm that preceded a storm, they actually had a storm that preceded a calm. It may have been this kind of occurrence that caused someone else to coin the phrase that "things often get worse before they get better." As undesirable as this may seem, it is worthy of some consideration.

Moses and the people had been delivered from the slavery of Egypt but the king changed his mind and came after them to take them back. They were now cornered during their journey: mountains beside them, hostile troops behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. What a jam. Of course, God miraculously delivered them by making a dry path through the water in front of them. But to do it, he sent an east wind that blew all night. I imagine someone must have felt like that cold, boisterous wind was the last straw and that it could not get any worse. That wind that may have felt unbearable was actually the wind that made their victory possible. It was their storm before their calm.

You may be in the throes of your east wind and it may be blowing all night long. But sometimes God allows the storm to get worse before the calm settles in. Thank God even for the east wind.

Prayer
"God, I am not afraid of the east wind. Give me the strength to make it through the night. Amen."