“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:3-4 NIV84)
I’ve recently been reading Exodus; I saw a great dichotomy — the balance between patiently waiting and taking action. Sometimes it’s hard to know which one to do. Moses and the Israelites were “pinned down” between the Egyptian army (bent on destroying them) and The Red Sea. They had nowhere to go.
So, the Hebrews did what I often do — they started whining and grumbling! We are told in Exodus 14:13-14 that, “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.’”
Wow! What a promise, “Stand still and watch God fight for you.” That takes great faith.
Get Moving
But when I read the next verse, I see another side of faith — action. It says in verse 15, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.’”
In other words, I think God was saying to Moses (and indirectly to me), “Get off your face and get moving; there is work to do!” Admittedly, it’s sometimes a little too easy to mope about my failures rather than jump back up and get to Kingdom business. As a leader, God hasn’t called me to sit and maintain – but to lead the people He’s entrusted to me. This requires faith – as much as when everything is going well.
What is God saying to you today? Are you anxious? Be still. Maybe you’re immobilized because of fear or doubt? Move on. Whatever challenging situation you are in, remember to trust God and be ready to take action.
Can we trust God when we feel stuck between a rock and a hard place? Don’t look now — The Red Sea just opened.
Have a “Red Sea” kind of week,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor