Devotions from WinShape Staff – Tyler Nowicki
There are a lot of common fears that we all have: spiders, snakes, clowns, the dark, maybe even roller coasters. You know, when we’re really scared, whether it’s of something made-up like a monster or real like a roller coaster, we can feel overwhelmed. A lot of us might feel like that right now.
That fear can seem like the only thing we can feel. We can wonder what hope we have when we’re that scared. So, what are we supposed to do when we’re frightened like that? How are we supposed to find hope?
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 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.” Exodus 14:10-14
These verses come as part of the story of God rescuing His people out of slavery in Egypt. This story of God’s people, called the Israelites, was a lot like a roller coaster. It was full of ups and downs. But the roller coaster wasn’t over for the Israelites yet.
In this story, the Israelites were terrified. They were as scared as scared could be. They were hopeless, certain they were going to die. They despaired so much that they were convinced they would have been better off if they had just stayed slaves in Egypt. They were angry with Moses for leading them out of slavery and were sad about where they had ended up.
Now, in verse 13, Moses tells the Israelites to see the Lord’s deliverance. Remember our Today’s Truth from yesterday? Hope sees God’s promises, even in our troubles. We know that even when it seems like trouble is all we can see, if we change our perspective, we will see the hope God promises to us. That’s what Moses wanted for the Israelites. He wanted them to trust God so they could see what He would do for them.
Moses also told the Israelites they needed to do two things in order to see God fight for and rescue them. “Stand firm and be still.”
What would it mean for them to stand firm and be still? The Israelites shouldn’t run away and they shouldn’t try to take care of their own problems. Instead, they needed only to trust and look to God’s promises. There, they could find hope – hope for God’s help.
Have you ever heard the phrase “paralyzed with fear?” It means someone is so scared that they literally can’t move. Things can be so scary that we feel like there’s nothing we can do, there’s nowhere we can go to escape. But that’s okay, because we don’t have to do anything. We don’t have to go anywhere. Remember, Moses told the Israelites to stand firm and be still. We simply need to do what they did. Look past the fear that scares us so much and see the promise God has made to help us, to fight for us, and rescue us from our fears.
And when we see that, that’s what gives us hope. Hope sees that God helps.
We hope you enjoyed this devotion from our team. Today’s post was written by Tyler Nowicki, Camp Experience Specialist at WinShape Camps.