Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have see to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
Fear or Follow?
I don’t know everything this year will hold, but I do know that it holds a tremendous amount of fear for many people. People are pessimistic. Evil is all around. If we are going to move forward and advance in life, we must follow God more than we fear the world.
The children of Israel were exiting bondage and a familiar life to embark on a journey into a new land and a new life. Yet on the very cusp of freedom, when you would think they would be overjoyed, they were full of fear. They said to Moses, “Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians.” (verse 12) Their past was (literally) chasing them, and their future was intimidating them.
A lot of Christians are like the children of Israel. They are happy and safe serving the world. The freedom of the future is more frightening than the bondage that is familiar in the present status quo. Most of us would prefer living under a tyranny that we know rather than living in a freedom we do not know.
What was Moses’ advice to God’s people? “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. . . .” That is an excellent verse for the new year! The truth is, we advance when we follow God more than we fear the world. Fearing the world gets us nothing, while following God gets us everything we need. Follow Him confidently today!