Calm Down
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. (Move forward) Exodus 14:10-15
We all know the outcome of the story of the children of Israel and the crossing of The Red Sea. The Egyptian army was destroyed. The Israelites made it safely across. However, to make it safely across the sea the children of Israel needed a good slap across the face. Have you ever watched a TV show where someone needed to calm down? The person they are talking to slaps them across the face. It brings a moment of clarity, a true coming to themselves moment. The slap across the face gets their attention quickly.
Can you imagine the chaos, anxiety, stress, grumbling, and crying out that must’ve been going on with the huge group of Israelites as they are watching the Egyptian army approach? I think Moses was giving them a little “get it together” speech when he is telling them “Don’t be afraid, stand firm, and BE STILL! I think they needed to hear that from Moses before they could be ready to move forward.
I think we all have “Red Sea” moments. God wants to get us safely across the sea, but before we can be ready to move forward, we have to let go of fear. We have to quit speaking doom. We must put down stress and anxiety and put trust in The One who wants to guide our steps. Sometimes we just need to calm down before we can move forward.
What do you have to put down in order to move forward? How will you devote2day?