When I became a Christian at age 18, I became determined to read the Bible all the way through. I was familiar with the verses that had led me to Jesus and had clarified my understanding of His offer of freedom and forgiveness for my sins against Him. In fact, I memorized many of them and clung to them like lifelines when shame and guilt taunted me. But I wanted the whole story of God so I started at the beginning.

Genesis, honestly, was fascinating! All the stories taught to children in Bible class all over the world were brand new to me! I watched God create the earth, fill it with naturally beauty, and introduce His beloved Adam and Eve to their new home. I watched His heart break at their rebellion and the consequences perfect justice demanded. I heard the whispered promise of a coming Savior. I watched the murderous drama of family strife, the washing clean of a depraved humanity from the face of the earth, and the establishment of God’s promise to never again destroy creation with a flood. I watched Him call Abraham to be the physical and spiritual father of His chosen people. I saw God’s sovereignty on full display through a chain of events that landed that family in Egypt.

Genesis was fast-paced. It was full of foundational events, revelation of God’s attributes and character, and the gradual rolling out of His eternal plan for mankind.

But when I got to Exodus, I literally couldn’t put the book down.

Fast forward 400 years. That chosen family highlighted at the end of Genesis – the Israelites – had become a numerous people, threatening a very insecure Egyptian king. He feared that the resident people of God might join forces with Egypt’s enemies in the event of war. So a system of forced labor was put into place to oppress the Israelites – which backfired in a big way. The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied.

The slave masters overseeing the Israelites became more and more ruthless until Pharaoh – the title for the king of Egypt – eventually ordered the murders of every newborn Israelite baby boy.

God raised up a deliverer in the man Moses, and He proceeded to bring about plague after plague to persuade the evil heart of Pharaoh to release His people from bondage; however, with each plague, Pharaoh’s hatred and mistreatment of God’s people intensified.

Wave after wave of this relentless persecution diminished the prospects of freedom – and even survival – for the Israelites. Bondage, then death warrants for their infant sons, then impossible conditions for their labor, in addition to the growing furor of Pharaoh – the black shroud of hopelessness fell heavy on God’s people. While Moses strictly obeyed God’s instructions to deal with Pharaoh, there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. The Israelites were at the end of themselves.

And in this dark moment in history, the stage was set. God flexed, and Pharaoh crumbled.

God rose up against Pharaoh. He crushed Egypt, bringing Pharaoh to his knees and snatching the Israelites from Pharaoh’s evil grasp.

In a stunning display of the miraculous, God parted the seas, and His people marched to freedom on dry ground. The Egyptian army pursued the Israelites onto the sea bottom. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.’” (Exodus 14:26) And the fear of the Egyptian army washed away in the churning waters of the Red Sea.

As a new believer, the book of Exodus instilled in me a true awe of God and a true appreciation for the powerful lengths He would go to in order to protect, rescue, and preserve His children. I could easily relate the physical chains of the Israelites to my own spiritual enslavement before I met Jesus. Suffering, hopelessness, and despair caused by my own rebellion against a holy God brought me to the darkest moment in my history. The stage was set. God flexed, and my chains crumbled.

The pursuing enemies of my soul were drowned by the power of the blood of Jesus. The promise of Exodus 14:14 became my life verse: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” My journey to the Promised Land began with my profession of faith in Jesus and my first steps of obedience.

Is there danger in the wilderness? Absolutely. But just like the Israelites, I won’t be overcome. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect me and lead me till I finally reach Home.

Life with God is anything but dull. From before the beginning of time – and the beginning of the Word – God has been at work. If you’re looking for an adventure that won’t disappoint, I know a God Who’s looking for you.