Learning from the Israelites

Oh, the Israelites. They never failed … to fail! When they were slaves in Egypt, the Lord had told them that they were the children of God, and He would deliver them to the Promised Land. The Israelites had no reason to doubt that they would arrive at the land of milk and honey.

But Exodus 14 explains that five days after leaving Egypt, the Israelites were camped in a valley. There were mountains on both sides with the Red Sea in front of them.

The Israelites were in a crisis situation. Their options did not look good. But pay careful attention to what Moses told the Israelites to do in this moment:

Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today …The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm (Exodus 14:13–14 NLT).

Moses summoned his courage to calm the people. It’s very possible that he projected more certainty than he actually had! God had not told him how or when He would help.

Stand still. I have a plan.

In his book The Red Sea Rules, author Robert J. Morgan writes, “God wants His children’s emotions under control. That’s hard for us. The very word emotion is the word motion with an e in front of it (for erratic, I suppose). Our feelings go up and down.… often driven by compelling circumstances. Yet all is worsened by giving our emotions free rein.”

Why did God tell them to stand still? Because fear always makes us want to flee.

But God told the Israelites, “Stand still. I have a plan.” God was testing their faith.

After Moses stopped as the Lord had commanded, he had a very human moment. He cried out to God.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!” (Exodus 14:15 NLT).

It was time to roll.

I find myself using a version of the Stop, drop, and roll fire safety technique whenever I’m in deep trouble.

Stop Making Excuses

When it comes to our emotions, self-preservation isn’t always the right decision.

Stop making excuses for wrong decisions, and recognize the enemy’s resistance. This will allow you to move forward despite your fear. By the way, this is called courage.

Drop and Ask for God’s Guidance

Drop to your knees and pray. God’s guidance often comes through His words found in Scripture, but God also uses people and circumstances to give us direction.

Roll with It!

Take the next step. You might be criticized. You might make mistakes. In fact, it might get worse before it gets better. But you’ll never know until you start.

The Test of Faith

God tested the Israelites in the way that He did … because tests of faith are not optional.

If you feel like you’re in an impossible situation, you’re probably right in the middle of the will of God. The challenges that you are going through are put there by God to prove His glory and test your faith in Him.

Think about it. If you have no problems, then there’s no need for faith in your life. If you have no problems, then you have no need for miracles.

Follow Me. Serve Me. These are actions. The Israelites thought God was going to do all of the work, but they were going to have to honor Him by believing in Him, and that belief was going to
demand action.

…

Adapted from Potential: The Uncontainable Power of God Within You by Troy Gramling, provided by Whitaker House Publishing. Copyright 2024. Used with permission. Available at amazon.com.