Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read Exodus 12:29-42 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, ‘Rise up, go away from my people. Both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord, as you said.’

Exodus 12:31

During the night disaster had come for the Egyptian people and their livestock. We are told ‘there was a loud cry in Egypt for there was not a single house without someone dead’ (v.30). It is hard to imagine that degree of distress or how Pharaoh must have felt, after disregarding the warnings he had been given. The vehemence of his response is shown by the summons in the night; they are to leave and to leave now.

For the Israelites this night is one of drama; their sudden expulsion has not granted them the chance to prepare, although guided by Moses they had brought together items of silver and gold and prepared the basic sustenance of unleavened bread. In their haste they wrapped this and the kneading-bowls in their cloaks. This is their moment of liberation, but it cannot have been easy to walk away from their homes towards an uncertain future in the desert. Yet they did so, ‘all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt’ (v.41b). The mass of men, women, and children, of flocks and herds moving as swiftly as they could through the night shows tremendous trust, in the Lord and in His servants, Moses and Aaron. At the end we see how fundamental this deliverance has been and how it will be remembered through the years to come, ‘that same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout the generations’ (v.42b).

In this act of deliverance God shows His care for the oppressed and the faithfulness of His response to those who call out to Him. For us today it can often be in our most difficult times that we feel closest to Him. If we trust with all our heart and soul in the Lord, He will answer our cry, whatever it takes to do so, as He did the cry of His people so long ago.

Let us pray: Lord, we give thanks that You hold out Your hand of love and care to all who trust in You. May You guide us as we each walk our journey in faith, day by day. Amen.

Dr Sheila Fisher, Licensed Lay Minister/Anna Chaplain, St Wilfrid’s Parish Church, Standish