Exodus 6:6-7
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt served multiple purposes.  First it spared them from their burdens and set them free from the bondage inflicted upon them by the Egyptians.  It brought judgment upon Egypt as God’s power was displayed for both the Egyptians and the Israelites to see.  It fulfilled His promise to them.  But it was also so that He could receive them unto Himself and take them as His people, because He wants to be their God.  He wants to have a relationship with them.  He wants them to know Him and for what He does to have an impact on their hearts.

It works the same way when God saves us.  When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are set free from the bondage of sin and the guilt and punishment of it.  We are spared God’s wrath and His judgment.  We receive the promise given through Christ.  But most of all, we are to cultivate a relationship with Him.  We can experience the fellowship that He always intended us to have with Him.  We can know Him and talk to Him and dwell in His presence even as He dwells within our hearts.

At this point in the story, the Israelites probably could have never imagined what would come next.  They could have never imagined the great wonders God would do, the deliverance He would give them.  They would have never believed that one day they’d walk across the sea on dry land and enter into that new place God prepared for them.  And coming to know Jesus as our Savior is only the beginning.  Because entering into that relationship with Him gives us a chance to see Him work in amazing ways.  We experience His goodness on a personal level.  We have Him near to lead and guide us every step of the way.

We have an amazing opportunity to know God and to experience not only what He will do for us, but who He will be to us.  His intention all along was for people to know Him.  And once the sin that separated us from Him has been taken care of, the door is open to our holy God, and we have free access to Him.  So let’s allow Him to be God in our lives.  Let us surrender to Him and enjoy the fellowship that we can have with Him as we grow and move forward into all that He has prepared for us.