This is a really scary week for me.
Tomorrow, my husband and I leave for Cleveland Clinic to find out if he’s a candidate for a multi-organ transplant. He’s battled an intense chronic disease for years, and this visit will determine what the next chapter of that fight looks like.
As we get ready to leave, one of the things on my to-do list was to clean up my desk a bit. On my desk is an easel of Bible verses, and as I flipped through the different options, I came across one I wasn’t familiar with in Exodus.
It’s from the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt where they had been enslaved for years. As they begin their journey to the Promised Land, they come across a major obstacle: the Red Sea. What’s worse is that Pharaoh’s armies are gaining on them. Everything seems hopeless.
The Israelites get really dramatic (relatable, honestly) and start wishing they could go back to being slaves in Egypt.
In Exodus 14, they finally get a talking-to from their leader:
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
They were letting their worries send them into a spiral. But their job wasn’t to worry. Their job was to trust God. Just stay calm. God has this.
But then the next verse is equally fascinating:
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!
The two verses may almost seem contradictory, but here’s what I realized: when we’re facing something scary, our job is to stay calm and keep moving. He’s going to show the path forward. We need to stop worrying, take the next step, and He’ll take care of the rest.
