Trust . . . Then Act

Reflect on God’s Word

Picture in your mind the story that’s told in Exodus 14, the story of the miracle God did to save the Israelites from Pharaoh’s army. They were at the edge of the Red Sea, water lapping at their toes, and the Egyptians were coming fast behind them.

Can you imagine being there, departing Egypt with Moses? You’re carrying everything you own on your back. Your feet are blistered, and sweat drips down your face. You wipe your forehead and look behind you, and then you see them: the Egyptians, in the distance, their horses pounding toward you, throwing up clouds of dust.

The people around you begin to cry out to Moses: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” And you wonder the same thing. Were you wrong to trust Moses—to trust God? Was this all just a trick? But Moses lifts his staff, and the crowd quiets. “Do not be afraid,” he says. “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (Exodus 14:13).

You are terrified! Stand firm? You and everyone around you just wants to run as fast as they can. And then God gives these reassuring words to Moses to tell the people: “The LORD will fight for you” (Exodus 14:14).

Can you feel peace beginning to settle in you?

That internal peace strengthens you, and it’s a good thing, because now God calls you to act, to move. God says to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (vv. 15–16). Moses moves to the front of the crowd and raises his staff over the water at the edge of the sea.

And then the miracle happens: This huge body of water, the mighty flowing Red Sea, a barrier that there was no way to cross, suddenly splits in two. But you realize that God is not going to pick you up and carry you across. You have to move. You have to put one foot in front of the other. As you take that first step, you marvel at the dry ground beneath your feet. It’s not even muddy. Friends walk on both sides of you, and you can smell the salt from the water and feel a light spray as the wind blows. It’s refreshing. Just like trusting God.

Just as he called the Israelites, God is calling you to step out in faith.

The Israelites were afraid as the Egyptians chased them. They were afraid they’d be killed or taken back into slavery. Those were legitimate fears. There was an army at their backs and a sea in front of them. You might not experience the hot breath of an army at your back, but your fears can feel like one.

But think about how you have seen the Lord fight on your behalf in the past. First you needed to keep silent and to remain calm. To wait and to trust. To see how God would deliver you. And then you needed to move. You needed to do whatever it was he told you to do.

Release Your Anxiety

Today, practice being silent and still, and see what God will do in your silence and stillness. Trust him to make a way and then to walk with you in it.

Maybe your chasing army is an unhealthy home situation that you really need to leave. But the Red Sea of your finances faces you. You see no way around it. So you keep waiting for God’s provision, lamenting that you are stuck. But are you limiting God in how you expect him to provide? Miracles can come out of unexpected places. So as you pray, ask God to help you to see what you’re not seeing. What steps might he be asking you to take that are scary to you, but that you need to take while holding his hand?

Perhaps quiet and stillness feel unfamiliar. Perhaps you feel a need to fix the situation you’re in yourself, or to worry your way out of it. That never works, does it? When you try to fight your battles on your own, you often end up feeling the weight of the struggle in your body. Your neck muscles become tense, and you may experience headaches, fatigue, or even illness due to stress.

So slow down. Focus. Take a deep breath and shake off any distractions or worries. If they try to return, tell them they can wait. For now, you are resting in the quiet; you are breathing in God’s goodness and exhaling away those distractions.

You can rest here. God will carry your burdens. God will help you fight your battles. Let your breathing grow deep and slow as you turn your focus to the God who fights for you.

Take time to declare your trust to God. Tell God, “I believe you will deliver me.” Then listen for what he’s asking you to do.

Rest in this quiet place for as long as you need to, knowing you can trust God to make a way for you in every circumstance.

Dear heavenly Father, soften my heart right now. Remind me that my salvation doesn’t come from working hard or doing something to earn it, but that my salvation comes from you. Teach me to sit still in your presence, and to know when to act, when to wait, and how to trust. Thank you for your love for me. Thank you for delivering me from my sins and promising me abundant life in Christ. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in me forever so I am never alone and am always connected to you. Help me to trust in you alone, and to wait for you in silence and stillness. And when it’s time for me to act, help me to act with courage and to step out in faith. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

JOURNAL PROMPT: How does your anxiety keep you from being able to trust God to make a way for you and then walk with you in it? Write down some ways you may be seeing God provide for you that you didn’t notice before.