Don't Hit the Panic Button

Don’t Hit the Panic Button

Exodus 14:10-14

The Israelites were scared.  Who could blame them? 

They had spent 400 years being slaves, endured Pharaoh’s resistance to letting them go (with their hopes going up and down), escaped (hallelujah), only to enjoy a few days of freedom and look up to see the Egyptians chasing them again!

Like, OH MY GOD!!

And they called God.  They were panicking.  Can you blame them?

And God’s response is…”Don’t panic.”

Errr…excuse me?, they responded.

Don’t panic, he says.

Through Moses, God tells his 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 14:13-14 NLT

We all get afraid.

We all have emotions.  Sometimes, our emotions lead us into doing things out of fear vs faith.  And, many of us take our emotional condition to God.

I like that this Bible I am currently reading suggested that the Israelites did the right thing by taking their fearful concerns to God instead of shaming them for being emotional.  Emotions are part of who we are.  And, like the Israelites, we can take our emotional responses about situations to God.  

In fact, I am sure many of us have gone to God with our emotional condition.  Fear, anxiety, agitation, anger, depression, hopelessness – the range of emotions during COVID-19 abound.

Yet, God is still speaking.

God is still offering Words of comfort.

               “Don’t be afraid.  I got you.  Stand still and watch me take care of the situation.  You will not have to deal with this again.  Know that, I will fight for you.  You just need to be still – trust me, endure this season and trust me.”

Amen.

Minister Michelle