“The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:15–16, ESV)
The scripture above carries within it a very important conversation between God and Moses. It occurred when the people of Israel were stuck on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea. With their backs to the sea and the Egyptian armies coming to get them, the Israelites grew fearful. It seemed like there was nowhere safe to go. There was nothing to do but await their inevitable defeat. The faith of the people waned in the face of their dilemma. Fear reigned supreme in that moment. Paralyzed by their fear, the Israelites cried out to God. Moses carried their cries to the Lord in prayer. The scripture above is God’s response.
In what seemed to many like an impossible, irrecoverable situation, Israel cried out to God in fear of their circumstances. God responded in Exodus 14:15 telling Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.” At the time, this must have seemed foolish to Moses. The only way “forward” was into the sea. So, God clarified what Moses needed to do in the very next sentence. God said, “Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16). When Israel was blocked in their escape from Egypt by the Red Sea, they saw no way out. When the Egyptian armies threatened, the people of Israel could not perceive safe passage. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one! It meant they couldn’t see it. In their paralyzing fear, they didn’t see that God was making a way by parting the Red Sea. God had made a way out. God had a plan for that moment.
It is so easy to become paralyzed by fear. It is so easy to lose perspective and be overwhelmed by obstacles in your way. A common problem among many people today is that they make the same mistake that blocked the Israelites in this passage in Exodus. They become so paralyzed by their fears and worries and insecurities that they get lost in their own helplessness. They cannot see God making a way through. They cannot perceive God’s direction. They cannot hear God’s voice.
As a tornado bore down on Moore, Oklahoma, a man stood in his yard staring at it. Instead of running for cover to his basement, the man just stood there as the half-mile wide tornado threatened every soul in its path. A neighbor saw the man standing there, ran out to him and said, “Jerry, give me your hand. Let’s get inside now. It isn’t safe out here.” The man’s eyes were fixated on the tornado. He didn’t move. The neighbor grabbed the man and pulled him into the basement. While there, the neighbor said, “Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you just stand there in the danger zone?” The man replied, “It’s like my feet were glued to the ground. I couldn’t move. I guess I was paralyzed by fear. Just watching that thing coming, realizing it was coming straight for us, I just didn’t know what to do. I’m so glad you came along!”
Most everyone has experienced this sometime in life. You are overcome by your fear. You can’t see a way out. You lose perspective. You can’t move. You can’t think. I’ve known soldiers so shell-shocked that they didn’t run for cover under fire. There are people so shocked by a vehicle accident that they forget to breathe and pass out. When getting the results of a test for cancer, some people cannot hear what the doctor is saying due to fears of what could happen. On and on, everyone has a story of how fear made them lose perspective, stop thinking, forget to breathe, go weak in the knees, fail to listen, and more. Fears can overpower you. They can paralyze you.
I find it very interesting that in their moment of paralyzing fear, the Israelites in the scripture for today could only “cry”. What was God’s response? God told them to “move forward”. Fear caused the people to be overcome with emotion and cry. God was not overcome with emotion. God had a plan. The Israelites didn’t need to cry at that crucial moment. Instead, they needed to move forward. They needed to get moving. They needed to take critical steps in the direction God needed them to go.
Don’t be surprised when you face great obstacles, are overcome with fears, or are wracked with insecurities if you find yourself unable to do anything productive. You might even desire only to roll into a ball and cry. However, in those moments, God may have other plans for you. God may want you to “move forward”. God may want you to take steps needed for HIS saving grace to come through.
Have you been afraid to tackle something in your life lately? Are your insecurities causing you to hesitate, go backwards, or even be filled with tears or depression? Sometimes, when you are “stuck”, God may already be making a way forward for you. You must find it. You need to let go of your fears and concentrate on God’s voice. It won’t be easy to do, but it is what you must do. God will be making a way for you through troubled waters or a dangerous passage. AND, count on HIM going with you!
In what seemed to many like an impossible, irrecoverable situation, Israel cried out to God in fear of their circumstances. God responded in Exodus 14:15 telling Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.” At the time, this must have seemed foolish to Moses. The only way “forward” was into the sea. So, God clarified what Moses needed to do in the very next sentence. God said, “Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16). When Israel was blocked in their escape from Egypt by the Red Sea, they saw no way out. When the Egyptian armies threatened, the people of Israel could not perceive safe passage. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one! It meant they couldn’t see it. In their paralyzing fear, they didn’t see that God was making a way by parting the Red Sea. God had made a way out. God had a plan for that moment.
It is so easy to become paralyzed by fear. It is so easy to lose perspective and be overwhelmed by obstacles in your way. A common problem among many people today is that they make the same mistake that blocked the Israelites in this passage in Exodus. They become so paralyzed by their fears and worries and insecurities that they get lost in their own helplessness. They cannot see God making a way through. They cannot perceive God’s direction. They cannot hear God’s voice.
As a tornado bore down on Moore, Oklahoma, a man stood in his yard staring at it. Instead of running for cover to his basement, the man just stood there as the half-mile wide tornado threatened every soul in its path. A neighbor saw the man standing there, ran out to him and said, “Jerry, give me your hand. Let’s get inside now. It isn’t safe out here.” The man’s eyes were fixated on the tornado. He didn’t move. The neighbor grabbed the man and pulled him into the basement. While there, the neighbor said, “Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you just stand there in the danger zone?” The man replied, “It’s like my feet were glued to the ground. I couldn’t move. I guess I was paralyzed by fear. Just watching that thing coming, realizing it was coming straight for us, I just didn’t know what to do. I’m so glad you came along!”
Most everyone has experienced this sometime in life. You are overcome by your fear. You can’t see a way out. You lose perspective. You can’t move. You can’t think. I’ve known soldiers so shell-shocked that they didn’t run for cover under fire. There are people so shocked by a vehicle accident that they forget to breathe and pass out. When getting the results of a test for cancer, some people cannot hear what the doctor is saying due to fears of what could happen. On and on, everyone has a story of how fear made them lose perspective, stop thinking, forget to breathe, go weak in the knees, fail to listen, and more. Fears can overpower you. They can paralyze you.
I find it very interesting that in their moment of paralyzing fear, the Israelites in the scripture for today could only “cry”. What was God’s response? God told them to “move forward”. Fear caused the people to be overcome with emotion and cry. God was not overcome with emotion. God had a plan. The Israelites didn’t need to cry at that crucial moment. Instead, they needed to move forward. They needed to get moving. They needed to take critical steps in the direction God needed them to go.
Don’t be surprised when you face great obstacles, are overcome with fears, or are wracked with insecurities if you find yourself unable to do anything productive. You might even desire only to roll into a ball and cry. However, in those moments, God may have other plans for you. God may want you to “move forward”. God may want you to take steps needed for HIS saving grace to come through.
Have you been afraid to tackle something in your life lately? Are your insecurities causing you to hesitate, go backwards, or even be filled with tears or depression? Sometimes, when you are “stuck”, God may already be making a way forward for you. You must find it. You need to let go of your fears and concentrate on God’s voice. It won’t be easy to do, but it is what you must do. God will be making a way for you through troubled waters or a dangerous passage. AND, count on HIM going with you!