Psalm Chapter 62, verse 2 says “He alone is my Safe Place; his wrap-around presence always protects me.”
The Passover in Egypt
A year and a half ago I was in a Bible course. We studied the book of Exodus and learned how God’s wrath came upon Egypt and Israel. Man had become corrupt and His sins needed to be punished. The story begins with an evil leader named Pharaoh killing the firstborn son of each Hebrew family.
Later in the story, God responds to Pharaoh with the same punishment. God’s judgement comes upon Egypt, but God covers Israel in the midst of the judgement. This covering came through the symbol of a pure lamb and its blood spread on the doorframe of each home.
God covers us in the midst of Judgement
After the lecture, I mediated on the story, wanting God to make it personal for me. Did you know, the Bible is meant to bring us into an encounter with God Himself? Jesus Himself says in John chapter 5, verse 39 and 40, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
As I thought about the story, I saw myself kneeled over on the floor; someone was about to punish me for something I had done. They were going to whip me. But then I saw Jesus. He was wrapped around me, holding me. They began to whip his back and he began to bleed.
As I saw the story unfold, I thought to myself that if they started whipping harder, He would let go. I was fearful of the punishment and pain I would receive being left on my own. As the Punisher began to whip harder, Jesus’ grip on me only got tighter. He held me as they whipped him. He bled. He bled instead of me. The judgement I deserved came, but God chose to cover me in the midst of the judgement, just as the lamb’s blood had sufficiently covered Israel during the Passover.
Jesus fulfills the Passover
Jesus came to Jerusalem on the Passover and fulfilled the feast in the New Testament. He chose to become the lamb without blemish and He chose to cover us with His blood in the midst of the judgement. In order for God to be just, His punishment had to come, but if we receive His forgiveness through His blood, He chooses to cover us in the midst of the wrath and punishment.
Perfect love casts out fear
1 John chapter 4, verse 17 and 18 says, “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as He [Jesus] is so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
As I saw Jesus covering me, I began to cry. I knew I deserved to be there, to be whipped, not Him. Yet, He chose to be there instead of me and to love me and embrace me and cover me and protect me.
For me, this was a personal revelation of the Cross. I grew up hearing the story many, many times, yet it wasn’t personal. It was a historical story. I needed a personal revelation from God to understand His sacrifice for me, not just for humanity, but for me.
Romans chapter 8, verse 31 says “If God is for us, who can be against us?” This verse took on a whole new meaning for me.
If you’ve never had a personal revelation of the Cross and what Jesus did, I believe God wants to give you one. He wants to show you He is for you, not against you. Ask Him to make the story personal, to make it real and relevant and tangible to your life. God is waiting and wanting to reveal Himself to you, all you have to do is ask.
Laurinda is a missionary at Youth with a Mission in Brisbane where she leads a discipleship program for young adults. On her day off you can find her hiking up a mountain or swinging in a hammock.
Laurinda Rapp’s previous articles may be viewed at