The Israelites blasting and blaming Moses, “it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. You’ll never see the Egyptians again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Ex. 14:12-14
Heavenly Father, fear, worry, and blame are cunning, persistent, destructive thieves. The Israelites were ready to return to a familiar life of slavery rather than trust you in the wilderness of the unknown. Thank you for your patience with us. You opened the Red Sea for them. You opened Jesus’ tomb for us. Hallelujah, and thank you.
But we still struggle to trust you, Father. What is our version of “returning to Egypt”? You constantly tell us of your great love for us in Jesus—how it gives you great joy to meet our deepest longings and greatest needs in the Gospel. Yet we often look to “not-requiring-faith-stuff,” like people’s approval, success at something, control over circumstances, medicating our pain, and financial security to be our saviors. Slavery comes in many forms.
Some of us are facing the map-less hill country of aging. We’d love to run back to the land of “30-something.” Help us trust you as joints get stiffer, memory slower, and death nearer. We’re more certain of heaven than what’s next.
Others of us are waking up today in an unplanned-for transition, a shame-filled journey of our own making, or a story we would have never penned for ourselves. Father, your grace is for sinners, not performers—for the helpless and powerless, not the sanitized and clever. Help us resist the thievery of fear, worry, and blame; get and stay still before you; and trust you to fight for us even as you’ll never stop loving us. So Very Amen.
