17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Exodus 13:17-22

Finally, the Israelites were on the move. It wouldn’t be long now and they’d be on the other side of the Red Sea. They had to sense that something different was up because they were being led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Since there were up to 3 million people mostly on foot, they couldn’t move fast. Unfortunately, at this point they had no idea that they were about to be pursued by the Egyptian army.

That is sort of a picture of the world, isn’t it? We know that there are bad things that happen, but most of the time, we don’t ever see them. As far as we’re concerned, the terrible things don’t exist, except that they do. Just because we don’t see the evil in the world does not mean it doesn’t exist.

So, what do we do then?

First we can educate ourselves about what is happening outside of our little world we’ve created. We can listen and read news we don’t normally listen to. We can discover what is happening with our persecuted brothers and sisters. We can write people who are “on the ground” in semi-hostile or hostile environments. Technology has enabled us to see and hear more in real time than any other era in history, but often we just veg in front of the TV or computer.

Secondly, we can pray when we hear about evil. Depending on your news source, you could be praying constantly, but that’s not a bad thing! Again, find out what’s happening in persecuted lands and pray for people by name if you can.