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. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. (Exodus 14:13-16)
I can imagine Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, some of them are happy and excited to be free, while others are wishing they could stay behind because they were afraid on the unknown. Some were saying “I don’t have to work another day in my life again”, others “where is Moses taking us? it better not be too far, I’m too tired to continue walking”. Children are running, babies are crying, parents are anxious, and grandparents are tired. People begin to get restless and exhausted. They have been walking for days, with no promise land in sight.
As Pharaohs army is approaching them, they begin to get desperate. They find themselves in between the sea and the Egyptian army. They scream out to Moses “it was better being a slave than to die out in the wilderness, why did you make us leave Egypt?” They did not fully understand what God wanted for them. They had forgotten He had delivered them from the Egyptians before and had guided and protected them along the way.
Moses tells the children of Israel to stand still and not be afraid, to see the Lord defend them and fight for them.
Moses at that moment must have thought that all he had to do was cry out to God and wait. He must have been very tired. He had forgotten that we are part of God’s team. God uses us to accomplish the impossible. God had used him to speak to Pharaoh to deliver the children of Israel.
God told Moses “Why are you crying out to me? tell the people to get moving!” God wanted action, He wanted Moses and the children of Israel to move, and at the same time to trust in Him for Deliverance.
Many times in the Bible we see God doing miracles through people who move, people who do not stand still and wait.
- David, when he heard Goliath speak against God, he moved into action to fight the giant, he did not stand still and wait. God helped David conquer and defeat the giant.
- Esther, knowing that her people, the Jewish nation was under threat, moved into action, she fasted for 3 days and went to the King knowing that her life was at risk. God protected her and she saved her people.
- When Potifar’s wife wanted Joseph to sleep with her, Joseph didn’t just stand there, waiting for God to save him. He moved into action and ran. God eventually put Joseph where he was meant to be, 2nd in command, for his faith in Him.
- The woman in the Bible that had 12 years of bleeding, knew that no one wanted to be close to her, no one wanted to touch her, because she was unclean but that did not stop her. She moved into action and made her way as close as possible to Jesus and touched the hem of His garment. Jesus felt it and healed her.
- Peter was in the boat with the other disciples during the night when they became afraid when they saw Jesus walk on water. Peter could have stayed in the boat where it was safe, but he moved into action, he wanted to be close to Jesus. When he took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink but Jesus lifted him up. He is the only one, other than Jesus that has walked on water.
Are you in a situation that has immobilized you? You are afraid to move in the right direction so you stand still and leave it in God’s hands, and when it doesn’t come out right, you blame God?
Are you just sitting, waiting for the right job to come your way?
The perfect girl/boy to approach you?
the house to magically be organized?
You think you aren’t smart enough so you just play video games and watch tv instead of going to school?
God is telling you to move. He has given you guidelines in the Bible that will help you live a happy life. A wonderful, powerful mind that can help you achieve your dreams. The power of the Holy Spirit to do amazing things, conquer obstacles, and help you live an awesome life! He wants you, together with Him, to go out and make a difference, touch a life, give joy and happiness wherever you may be, heal the sick, comfort the hurting, feed the poor, stand up for the weak, take care of your body, do the impossible and live a life of purpose.
Prayer: Lord, help to realize my purpose and move into action. Just like you parted the Red sea with Moses when he moved into action, You want to work with me and through me to do amazing things. I do not want to stand still and do nothing as time goes by, there are many people that need to know about You and your awesome Love. Help me to move in the direction you want me to go and keep moving to make a difference. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
