Do not fear
It's a command.
I have redeemed you
Isn't the redemption of the soul the greater freedom?
When you pass through the waters...
Because you will, you know.
You won't be stuck in them...you will go through them...there will be an end to it, but they're still there.
These words come from Isaiah 43, and as I read them I imagine the scene in Exodus 14, when Israel was coming out of Egypt.
It began with a chase.
It came with a God-purpose (the Egyptians will know that I am the One who delivers), but what do you hold to when you are in the chase...your fear or God's purpose?
Face it, when we're afraid we are concerned about ourself first, then we cry to God to deliver, and then...way down at the bottom of the list.. we might be concerned about someone else's soul salvation and yield a little to the weight of the water.
We might.
Maybe He'll use the enemy's victory over me to eventually lead a sinner's soul to Him, but right now I'm not willing to be the prey to be sacrificed.
Like Israel, I may start with boldness but when the chase is on and I see the strength of the one chasing me I am nothing short of full-out-frenzied-fear.
And when I cry to the Lord, my prayers are often mixed with fear and doubt words just like the nation of Israel:
Why have You taken me to this place to die in this way?
Why have You dealt with me in this way?
Didn't I tell You this would happen?
Wouldn't it have been better for me to serve than to die like this?
I'm afraid...but what of?
Death?
Desolation?
My pursuers?
My name?
(And maybe the better question is, WHO am I not afraid of?)
The Lord has laid out His plan before the enemy's pursuit. That's all Israel had here, and sometimes that's all I've got as well.
Maybe this is why the part that grabs me the most are the words He speaks to Moses specifically:
Why are YOU crying to ME?
It's as if He is saying: Why don't you speak to me with your bold words of faith like you just did to Israel? Why do you use words like: Don't be afraid! Stand and see your salvation! The LORD will accomplish this for you today! You will never see THIS enemy again forever...with ME?
He told Moses to move, to divide the sea and pass through the waters.
He said that He would take care of their enemy, and that even in their pursuit He would be honored:
Then Egypt will know that I am the LORD...when I am honored through this event.
Because that was His purpose all along.
This was His plan...to allow (and even to orchestrate!) the enemy's chase.
It's not how I would do it.
I would probably stay longer in my Egypt; a slave to another master.
I would probably sit in my fear and refuse to trust the plans of a good God.
I would not understand God at all.
But even in my fear and doubt, my good God takes His presence from in front of me and moves Himself behind me to block the sight of what I fear the most.
Will I see Him, or will I be overwhelmed by the darkness that the fear brings when I push Him aside?
God's honor is at stake...not based on the outcome (He can hold His own with that), but on whether or not I will testify to His power, His plan, and His purpose,...and whether or not I will praise Him in each of these.
Today, I'm telling my heart to move forward.
Today, I'm telling my heart to believe.
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