Just Stay Calm

The Israelites are a bunch of whiney behineys aren't they?

God rescues them over and over again and they whine at the slightest hiccup.

Not like I can identify with that or anything.

Whatever.

Anyway, I came across this Bible verse and it resonated with me.

Quick set up: Pharaoh has just released the Israelites when he changes his mind and decides to go after them. The Israelites are at the edge of the river with no place to go. They can see Pharaoh and his army behind them, barreling down on them. So, naturally, they do what most people would do. They lose it. They begin to berate Moses:

"'Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” Exodus 14:11-12

But Moses, being the ever patient leader, says to them:

" ...'Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.'" Exodus 14:13-14

I love that - "just stay calm."

I freak out when I get to the proverbial "water's edge." God's rescued me so many times, yet I still lose it when I can't see what God sees. If I was in the same place as the Israelites, I'd probably see a river too. I wouldn't have envisioned God parting the river so I could walk through it. Yet that's what He does, every time I get to the water's edge.

My takeaway after reading those verses is something that I needed to be reminded of.

Frequently.

And it's this: don't freak out. The person or thing that I feel like I can't escape from will go away. I feel defenseless, but my feelings aren't telling the truth. God's taking care of it. He's fighting for me. So I just need to take a chill pill and let God do the thing that He does.

Such a simple lesson that I need to be reminded of over and over again.

I don't know where you are today or what you're facing, but don't freak out. God's fighting for you. Just stay calm. Get ready to watch God do something amazing...like part a sea before your very eyes.