I was with three incredible women yesterday and hearing their history, seeing their redemption, and celebrating their victories was delightful on a level that is hard to put into words. With this fresh on my mind this morning I was reading Isaiah 19:19-20 and praise shot out of my mouth, because the same God who rescued Israel, rescued me, rescued you. Listen to how Isaiah says it…”In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border. It will become a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.”

One of the ways we remain lovers of God and lovers of people is by never forgetting that altar the Lord opened our eyes to while we were living far from God in Egypt. If we never forget where we came from, who rescued us and who put that altar in our land of unbelief, we will always be grateful to God and for people. Where you lived in Egypt may be different than me or it may have been in the same neighborhood. But nonetheless, we made it to the altar in that land and we cried out to the Lord and He came as a Savior, as a Champion and He delivered us. It is so important we don’t forget where we came from as we move further into where we are going.

One final thought this morning, that altar in Egypt is still there as a sign and a witness. People we love may not have found it yet, but just like we did, they will. It is an altar where lives have to be laid down, that is why many see it but don’t lay their lives down on it. But take heart, the same God that woo’d us to lay our lives down and let Him rescue us will do the same for them. We must remember where we came from because now we are the sign and the witness that will draw them to that altar.