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Looking Over Your Shoulder
In the Word
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided (Exodus 14:21).
Of the Word
Driver’s education instructors are constantly reminding their students to look in the rear view mirror. In doing so, the driver is able to see what’s going on behind the car.
While the Israelites were crossing the Red Sea, they were constantly looking over their shoulders. Whenever they looked back, they saw Egyptians approaching quickly. Once they were safely across, there was no need to keep looking back. When they crossed the Red Sea, they left behind their old lives as slaves. They were free!
Like the Israelites, we no longer need to keep looking over our shoulders to see if our sins are following us. We can be confident that, … as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).
Just as the Israelites crossed through waters of the Red Sea, we have crossed through the waters of Holy Baptism. This means our old life of sin and death is left behind, and we need not look back. We are free from the burden of sin.
Walking with my Lord
O Lord, in my Baptism You removed my sins as far as the east is from the west. Remind me of this so that I no longer keep looking over my shoulder. In Your holy name. Amen.
Mustard Seed: Water of Life. Michael Heckmann, author. 12/28 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
