The Line

My youngest daughter was driving home last night in the rain.
It had never rained here but I saw the dark clouds in the distance.
I was praying for her safety.
She came home and told me how bad the rain was on her drive home.

Mom, I drove so slowly. It was a downpour.
As soon as I got close to home, near the road with the barn on the left, the rain stopped.
It was like someone turned off a switch; a literal line of rain, then no rain.

I can just imagine how spectacular it must have been.
A line of rain, then no rain.
I think we both knew who “turned off the switch”.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt, darkness that can be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anything or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
(Exodus 10:21-23)

There was a line between the darkness and the light.
Darkness was on the Egyptian side and light was on the Israelite side.

God’s people were slaves in Egypt and treated harshly.
The Egyptians suffered through Ten Plagues because Pharaoh would not let the people go.
At God’s command, Moses told Pharaoh to release His people.
Pharaoh was to let them go so they could worship God in the desert.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and on your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are. But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where My people live: no swarms of flies will be there so that you will know that I, the Lord am in this land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.’ “ (Exodus 8:20-23)

There was a line.
God’s people on one side and God’s enemies on the other.

If it were only that easy to discern who belongs to God and who does not.
If there only was a visible, distinguishing line.

Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?” “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ “ (Matthew 13:24-30)

God does have His hand on the switch.
He could very easily separate the weeds from the wheat now.
He could very easily separate His people from His enemies today.
He is allowing them to be together until the harvest.

One day the line will be visible.
At that time there is no crossing over to the other side.
At the harvest, His people will be gathered to Him.
At the harvest, His enemies will be sent away from His presence forever.

There is time to let people know about the line that can still be crossed.
There is a Way over to the other side.
The Way is a Person and that Person is Jesus.

The storm: a line of rain, then no rain.
The harvest: His people. His enemies.
Together for now, until that Day.

Which side of the line are you on?