be still

As I sit here at the start of a long "journey" so to speak, I find it interesting that in fulfilling the "read" portion of my goals I have been reading about the Israelites at the beginning of their journey into the wilderness.

I feel sort of like the Israelites. I don't know where I am going. I don't know what the Lord has planned. He said move, and I am moving, to what end and what purpose I am still unsure. But something struck me though this morning as I read.

The section I was reading was about the Israelites at the Red Sea. I found it very interesting how they got to the Red Sea. I am sure I have read it before numerous times but this morning it jumped out to me, there was a shortcut that the Lord didn't let the Israelites take. He didn't let them take it because He knew that they weren't prepared to face what was there, so instead He led them to a sea with Pharaoh's army at their heals.

This is often the place that I start to get really frustrated with the Israelites. I want to shake them and say, "How much more does God have to do for you so that you will trust that He is faithful?!"

Lets recap for a moment what they have seen so far:

• The Nile River turned to blood.
• Frogs....soooooo many frogs.
• Lice...this needs no extra comment...shudder.
• Flies that bit people and animals.
• Disease among the livestock.
• Boils... 
• Hail and fire...Nbd right? I mean the Bible only describes this as "hail, the likes that Egypt had never seen."
• Locust. Have you seen ever a locust? They are MASSIVE! 
• Darkness, so dark you could almost touch it. People didn't leave their homes for days.
• And finally death...a lot of it.
• Oh and did I mention that the Israelites were spared and protected during this process.
• Then they leave Egypt after getting rich plundering their neighbors and are guided by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

I think we can effectively say they have seen the power of God at work.

Yet here they are, up against the Red Sea, and they are falling apart. Now, like I said, I WANT to be frustrated with these folks. I want to, but I can't be. I can't because I am just like them.

How many times has God shown me His incredible faithfulness in my life and yet when I am up against a "Red Sea" situation I came apart. See, just like the Israelites I want the shortcut. I would starve myself for a month if I thought it would make me thin for a life time, but thats not how the Lord leads, He wants years of faithful obedience not a shortcut.

It's easy to think when you are at a "Red Sea,"

Great, now what? How am I supposed to move forward when what I am up against is IMPOSSIBLE?

This is my favorite part of the story. As the Israelites are whining and complaining Moses says to them,

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

There it is. That is what we are missing. That is something I believe that Lord is trying to teach me in this adventure I am on. He's saying to us all,

"Guys, I got this. Be still. Let me work it out." 

I don't know about you, but I am a fixer. I want to solve the messy situations and make life happy and simple for everyone around me. But this story tells me that that is not the Lords way. He is revealing that sometimes the way out of the mess, is through it. There is a reason that He takes us through and not around. In the Israelites case it was this:

"And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him..."

So as I embark on this year long journey, seeking to crucify the flesh, I do so with some trepidation because I know the Lord will lead me through and not around the messy things in my life. I pray that as I go, I will see the mighty hand of God, fear the Lord and put my trust in Him.

But first...first, I will be still.

"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10