He Leads Us
Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.
Psalm 77:19
Winter can seem to last way too long. Last night at a Lenten dinner, many people lamented about the raw, damp, cold that chills you to the bone. One friend remarked, “I feel warmer just thinking about the warm days of last summer!” Many times, isn’t it true that memories of bright days can help us to endure dark ones?
Psalm 77 was set during a dark time for God’s people. But the memory of brighter days kept hope alive. One of the brightest memories recalled Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt hundreds of years earlier, and especially how God cleared a path for them through the waters of the Red Sea.
But there’s something else to that memory. The psalm says, in effect, “God, in those days we saw what You were doing for us. But we didn’t see You directly. The damp seabed didn’t show Your footprints. We could only see Moses leading the way like a good shepherd.”
Many years later, in the person of Jesus, God took on human flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, was visible. He left footprints. When we look at Jesus, we can see God. We see God going before us, leading the way.
The path that Jesus followed led through the darkness of death. But He did not turn aside. He is our good shepherd. He laid down His life for us. And we can see His feet, and His hands, marked by the nails. We can, through the scriptures, see Him in resurrection glory. When we see that, we know He loves us, and is leading us through even the darkest days.
Jesus, You lead the way. Help us to see Your footprints through the eyes of faith and to follow You every day. Amen.