EXODUS 14:13-14

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."

TO PONDER

This verse strikes me as a little strange. In verse 15 Immediately after Moses has told everyone to be still, God seems to tell Moses off, almost as if to say, "What have you stopped for and why are you panicking? Get moving. So what if there's sea in the way, I'll take care of it - just keep moving."

Maybe I'm paraphrasing and imagining too much from the reading but I think often I am guilty of standing still and waiting to see the deliverance of the Lord when God might actually be asking me to be the instrument of His deliverance.

Moses wasn't completely wrong, God did fight for and delivered them safely to the opposite shore of the Sea, but he also required them to walk the path he had set before them. Even when the path ahead was not clear God asked them to walk forward into the sea and trust the path he made for them. I think we often fall short of seeing the fulness of what God might want to show us because we imagine that something is impossible. How often do we let God lead us to the shore of whatever sea He wants us to cross and then camp out at the edge, refusing to take the next step for fear of getting our feet wet.

So yes, be still, rest in the Lord - but don't stay camped on the shore. God promises to restore and equip you, not so that you can continue to rest, but so that you might get on with living in the fulness of life that comes as you follow Him.

PRAYER: God, the life you invite me to live in following you is often uncertain and can at times seem scary and dangerous. Yet you promise to walk through the fire and the water with your people. Help me to walk in your promises, knowing and trusting that wherever your path leads me I will never be far from you. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle