Fear. Doubt. Panic.
Then you hear Moses' voice. "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today."
Don't fear?? Stand by and wait for them to come kill us?? Are you kidding me??
~ ~ ~
We know the rest of the story. We know how God provided for the Israelites by parting the Red Sea, then using the water to wipe out Pharaoh's army. It seems so obvious to us that after all they had been through, the Israelites should have trusted God. But are we so quick to trust God when we are waiting by the sea - trapped between an uncrossable body of water and an unbeatable army?
Not always.
Just this month I encountered things that put this question to the test. No matter how much I told myself God would provide, it would have been so easy to do what the Israelites did: fear, doubt, and panic.
But the simple words of a wise friend led me to God's Word, where instead of panic, I found peace.
"God hasn't brought you this far just to leave you now," my friend said.
As I studied the ways God provided for the Israelites, here is what I learned. All throughout the exodus from Egypt, God provided for the Israelites:
** God heard the cries of His children (Ex 2:23-25)
** God went with Moses when Moses had doubts (Ex 3:11)
** God gave them favor even among their enemies (Ex 11:1-3)
** God provided them with protection (Ex 12:13)
** God provided them with direction (a cloud by day and a fire by night) (Ex13:21)
Those are only a few examples of the ways God provided for His children as they made their excape from Egypt. So next time you are tempted to give into fear, doubt, and panic, remember that God didn't bring you this far just to leave you now.
