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Between a Rock and Hard Place - Conquering Fear - Part 4

The Israelites have had a difficult time.  They were oppressed for many years in slavery, finally set free, only to be chased by the Egyptian army and cornered at the Red Sea.  They questioned Moses and God.  But God, doing as He always does, responded to their fears and rescued them.

The Israelites have cried, complained, and grumbled to God.  They have faced difficult circumstances and at times even lost hope.  But God has delivered yet again.  In the midst of the people's feat and questioning, God provides an escape.  In Exodus 14:29, "The people of Israel walk on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left."  The Lord saved the Israelites that day and the people saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore as God brought the waters back together through Moses (Ex 14:26-28).

God has once again set his people apart.  "By saving His people and judging their enemies, God demonstrated that He can be trusted."  God was testing the people in order to produce faith in their hearts.  This is the same reason that He gives us trials and tests today that we must endure, because that is how faith is produced.  "What was important for Israel was not merely  that they were safe and the Egyptians were not; what mattered was that faith saves.  Israel was not saved because they were good enough, smart enough, or holy enough.  They were none of these things.  They were saved because God is good and because God is faithful.  Faith, not our good works, saves, and God is always at work graciously calling us to put our faith in Him."

Verse 31 sums it all up.  "Israel saw the great power that the Lord use against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses."  It was because Israel had witnessed all these great things that God has done; the plagues, the freeing, the crossing of the Red Sea, that they realized that all glory is owed to God.  They began to trust in Him and even in His servant, Moses.

We rarely overcome fear alone.  Unfortunately, we don't always turn to God when we're scared.  Sometimes we turn to a friend, a spouse, a sibling, or a parent.  But when we turn to that person, one thing is always true, we are turning to them because we have FAITH that they can help us overcome whatever has us scared.  It's awesome to have caring, compassionate, and helpful family and friends when things get hard.  But that's nothing compared to having a loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful Heavenly Father to place your faith in.  If someone in your life has shared the Word of God with you, then God has set you apart to hear His Word for a purpose, will you place your faith in Him today?
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