Facing It

The Children of Israel had spent years in bondage in Egypt. Their hardships grew worse and they cried out to God. He heard…  “The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings” (Exodus 3:7).

Great hardship was met with answered prayer in a deliverer - Moses. Through miracle upon miracle, Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go. They rounded up their belongings for the trip, food was prepared, excitement and joy filled their hearts, until... God led them to the edge of the Red Sea. There, He commanded them “to encamp facing it.”

Why did He ask this? To camp facing the impossible? To encamp staring at certain death? The answer is still the answer to every one of us today... we must not run from what frightens us, or recede in terror, but we must stand strong, in the power of God and face it head on.

God spoke to them all through Moses...  “Fear not! Stand firm! And see the salvation of the Lord that He will work for you today. The Lord will fight for you. You need only be silent” (Exodus 14). Victory and deliverance soon followed. Where God leads us, He will always make a way.

Dear friends, we may feel the worries of life are just too strong to face, but we must anchor ourselves deep in the promises of God and face it. Besides, we know we are far better off at the edge of a cliff, facing crushing waves, WITH God, than in a palace without Him.

May we trust Him now with all our hearts, and face these present trials with a strength of Spirit that says...

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)