Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

- Exodus 12:40-42

God’s deliverance was a long time in coming. The Israelites spend 430 years in Egypt, away from the Promised Land. For much of that time, it would have looked to any outside observer that the Lord was absent, that he had forgotten his people, that he had fallen asleep or silenced his phone.

But the Lord is a God who keeps his promises.

The people of Israel entered Egypt as refugees, a collection of tribes fleeing a famine. They became nothing more than slaves. Who would have expected them to march out of Egypt organized in divisions? Who would expect the slaves to become the conquerors?

At this point in the story, the narrator pauses to point to the Lord’s activity. The Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt. He protected them. He worked on their behalf. He labored for them.

The book of Exodus is still answering the question posed by both Moses and Pharaoh: “Who is the Lord?” In this moment we see that he is the one who watches over his people.

Where in your life have you experienced the Lord’s watchful presence? How does it shape your life to think that the Lord might be standing vigil for you?