In the Old Testament, Moses was the one chosen to lead God's people to freedom from slavery. You'd think that if this was God's will, it would be smooth sailing! But Moses came up against every opposition...including from the very people he was trying to rescue.

In Exodus 14, the Israelites were finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The king of Egypt had relented and they were on their way to freedom--or so they thought. Suddenly the king realized that with the Israelites gone, the entire nation's lifestyle would have to change. This caused him to go back on his end of the bargain and begin chasing after God's people, which in turn caused the Israelites to begin to panic.

Just as Moses was beginning to get the hang of his leadership role, his people mutinied! They began to cry out and complain. With the Egyptians on one side and a huge, seemingly impassable body of water on the other, they lamented that it would have been better to die in Egypt than to die in the desert. How quickly they had forgotten all that the Lord had done for them to get them here...but then again...what was the point if they were just going to die anyway?

I admit I have had those thoughts before. It's easy to look over our past and see how God had worked things out. But as soon as we get in a situation that seems impossibly hard, we wonder, "What's the point of it all? Why did God bring me here when there's no way out!"

Maybe you are in a situation right now where you feel like you have no where to turn. Sometimes life comes at us from all sides and it just feels hopeless. But I can guarantee you that God is working behind the scenes! Moses's response to the Israelites was simple:

• Don't be afraid.

• Stand firm.

• Watch what God is going to do.

Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Pause here for a moment and drink that in...you need only to be still. Be still...don't panic...trust...

But remember, trust is not a feeling. It's an action. Read on: "Then the Lord said to Moses," in verse 15, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on."

Be still. Then move on.

Sometimes when there is no where to turn, it's not because there isn't a direction...it's because we are frozen in fear. I want to encourage you to be still long enough to trust that God is on your side. Then I want you to trust enough to move on.

What happened to the Israelites? Moses, through the power of God, split that impassable body of water right down the middle and the Lord's people crossed over to safety on dry land. And those Egyptians? They followed them, yes, but...God closed the sea around them and just as He had promised, the Israelites never saw those Egyptians again. Exodus 14:31 says, "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared (had awe & reverance for) the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant."*

When there is no where to turn, don't look to the right or to the left. Look up!

*parentheses added by me for clarification

#trust #faith