DAY 9: Be Still (Part 1)

Exodus 14 records one of the most significant transitions in history - Israel's exodus out of Egypt. The Israelites are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They are camped at Pi Hairoth with the Red Sea on one side and an attacking Egyptian army on the other side. Exodus 14:10 says the Israelites were 'terrified' and said, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did 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."

The Israelites assume the worst, but that's what you tend to do after being enslaved for 430 years! You develop a defeatist attitude. You feel hopeless and helpless. But hear what Moses says to 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 be still." Then the Lord said to Moses in verse 15, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on."

A boss puts a letter on your desk. Your spouse sends divorce papers in the mail. You walk the line and get your degree. you fill out a change of address form. Those things symbolize transition - the end of one life chapter and the beginning of another. Some are welcome changes. Others are unwelcome changes. But in each instance, the question is: How do you move on?

Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." In his book, Anam Cara, John O'Donohue's tells a story about an African explorer. He hired some native Africians to help carry his equipment through the jungle and they didn't stop for three days. At the end of the third day, these hired hands stopped and absolutely refused to move on. The explorer asked why and one of the Africians natives said, "We have moved too quickly to reach here; now we need to wait to give our souls a chance to catch up with us." Most of us could say the same thing. We 've moved too quickly to get where we're at and we need to give our souls a chance to catch up.

(Adapted from Senior Pastor Guna Raman's devotion "Managing Transitions in a Downturn")