“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” — Exodus 20:2

If little green men suddenly appeared on this planet and it was your job to teach them about the Lord, what might you tell them? My guess is that nine out of ten people would include “creator of the world” in their first sentence. That is, after all, arguably God’s most famous act. However the first time that God introduces Himself to the world at large, by revealing himself at Sinai and handing down the Ten Commandments, this is what he says:  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

What’s the first thing that God wants us to know about Him? Not that He created the world. God wants mankind to know Him as the being who took the nation of Israel out of Egypt.

Now, the Lord performed amazing miracles when He freed the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. No one can argue with that. But doesn’t splitting the sea pale in comparison with having created it in the first place?

Many years ago I was teaching a group of teenagers, and we were talking about the existence of God. One of the girls raised her hand and said, “Rabbi, I don’t believe in God. But I do believe in a Creator.” Huh?

It sounds ridiculous, but here is what this girl was really saying — She was saying that she believes that some infinite being created the universe, but is no longer involved in it. That’s why for her, there is no God. Thousands of years after creation, God has no idea that cars and computers have been invented, that nations engage in war, or that I had pizza for dinner last night. He did his job and moved on.

But God wants us to know this:  “I’m still here! I always have been and always will be!”

This is why the Almighty wants to be known as the being who saved Israel. He is telling us that not only did He create the world, He runs it, too! God is involved in every single aspect of life. He hears our prayers, just as He heard the prayers of the Israelites. Just as He saved them, God will come through for us too.

We are never alone. Can you see the hand of the Lord in your life? Are there times when things that seemed bad for you turned out to be the best thing ever? Can you find instances where amazing things happened that were beyond your doing? God is with us every step of the way. Always has been and always will be!