Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” 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.” Ex. 14:12-14
Heavenly Father, this story underscores how fear and worry are two of the most cunning and successful robbers. The Israelites preferred returning to a familiar life of slavery in Egypt, over trusting you in the wilderness of the unknown. We don’t judge them, because we “get it.” A known brokenness is often easier to navigate than unknown outcomes. Help us get still, trust you, and wait.
Thankfully, we’re not facing the threat of Egyptian soldiers. Often our biggest battles are within our hearts. You constantly tell us of your great love for us in Jesus. Yet we often look to stuff like people’s approval, success at something, control over circumstances, or financial holdings to fill us up. Free us, Lord, free us.
At times we battle with trusting you with the hearts of those we love. We resort to ineffective ways of manipulating, spiritualizing, or trying to “fix” people. It never works. Father, help us extend your welcoming heart, merciful acceptance, and your counterintuitive grace to everybody. Yet again, we throw down our toolkits of trying to be the 4th member of the Trinity in the lives of others.
Some of us are facing the unknown land of aging. We’d love to run back to the land of 30-something, but that’s not going to happen. Help us trust you in the journey of getting older, as joints get stiffer and memory gets slower.
