“When Egypt’s king was told that the people had run away, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel go free from their slavery to us?”” – Exodus 14:5 (CEB)
Exodus tells this plainly, without drama. The people are out. They are walking free, only days into it. And behind them, the king changes his mind.
Freedom rarely gets granted once and then stays granted. The thing you got out of often comes looking for you. An old habit. A way of thinking about yourself. A relationship, or a version of you that you thought stayed back in Egypt. What the Israelites did to deserve this was nothing at all. They left, and leaving was enough to provoke it.
That is worth holding onto today. Being pursued is not proof you took a wrong turn. Sometimes it is proof you actually went. Pharaoh does not send an army after people who stayed put.
What has come back for you after you thought you were past it?
God, when the old thing comes looking for me, remind me that being chased is not the same as being lost. Hold me steady. In Jesus’ name, Amen.