It’s the greatest rescue story of all human history. A multitude of escaped slaves stand helplessly on the shore of an uncrossable sea, their former captors bearing down upon them with fury and deadly intent. Then, at the darkest moment, when they face catastrophic destruction, God acts with enormous power to rescue them.
He explains this great rescue to them in majestic terms. They saw with their own eyes what he did to the Egyptians, and then he says, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” They were carried to freedom as if on the back of a great eagle, soaring through space, to freedom and to a meeting with God.
It’s an incredibly powerful image of divine grace and salvation. The eagle is the king of the air, unchallenged by any foe, and by the power of its wide-spread wings it carries them to a place of freedom.
It’s an inspiring story, but what does it have to do with us? Exactly this: we, too, have been rescued by those same eagles’ wings. Helpless in our sin, facing terrible disaster, God bore us to himself to become a ‘holy priesthood’ (I Peter 2:5) and a ‘kingdom of priests’ (Revelation 1:6).
Who could not be moved to profound gratitude by such a thing? If we understand his purpose in our rescue, and hear his voice, we become his ‘treasured possession.’ And that is the best ‘good news’ anyone will ever hear.
Father, Thank you for rescuing me with great power and indescrible love and compassion, by sending your own Son to deliver us from our enemy and free us from sin’s oppression. May I trust in your great strength this day as I obey you with gratitude and love in my heart.
Throughout This Day: Seek to remain in God’s presence as you go from task to task, worshipping him and giving him thanks for the eternal deliverance you are experiencing thanks to his amazing love.
Photo Credit: Oliver Hihn on Unsplash