JMJ
Last week we read about the Israelites being led out of Egypt, where they were enslaved, and into the wilderness on their way to freedom. The verses we’ll look at today continue the story of their journey and call to mind the power of our Lord.
“And when the Egyptians followed the steps of them who were gone before, they found them encamped at the sea side: all Pharao’s horse and chariots, and the whole army were in Phihahiroth before Beelsephon. And when Pharao drew near, the children of Israel, lifting up their eyes, saw the Egyptians behind them: and they feared exceedingly, and cried to the Lord.” -Exodus 14:9-10
While we may not know exactly how it feels to be camping next to the sea when an army of horses and chariots come charging, we’ve all experienced times of being terrified of what was coming at us. Whether it be something big or small, whether we saw it coming or it completely caught us off guard, we’ve all encountered the feeling of being afraid of what we’ve had to face. This is exactly what the Israelites experience as they realize Pharao is coming after them.
“And they said to Moses: Perhaps there were no graves in Egypt, therefore thou hast brought us to die in the wilderness: why wouldst thou do this, to lead us out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying: Depart from us that we may serve the Egyptians? for it was much better to serve them, than to die in the wilderness.” -Exodus 14:11-12
Verses 11 and 12 show how the Israelites respond to their fear. They turn to Moses and ask, “why did you lead us out of Egypt?” They say it would have been better to stay alive as slaves than to die free in the wilderness. The first time I ever prayed with this passage, I remember thinking, why on earth would they rather be enslaved than free, even if it meant a shorter life? Maybe I’m alone in thinking this way, but if I had a choice between eighty years of slavery or forty years of freedom where I knew I was truly alive, I would hands down choose the latter. For a long time, I couldn’t understand why the Israelites would’ve had any hesitation about getting out of Egypt.
After coming back to the passage a bit later, however, I realized how much we act like the Egyptians too. Again, we may not find ourselves in the exact situation, but so many of us are living out of fear everyday. As someone who has worked in youth ministry, the first example I always go to is social media/cell phones. I’ve had students show me screen times of over eleven hours a day. This upsets me for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason it gets at me is that these students aren’t even aware that they’re enslaved by this little piece of technology. Most of the excuses I hear are coming from them being afraid of missing out when all their friends are playing an online game together, missing something on social media, or something of the like. But they’re so afraid of missing out on things that don’t really even matter in the long run that they’re missing out on the life that’s right in front of them. It’s fear that often keeps them from even wanting to get out from under the grasp of technology.
How often have we said no to something that can bring us more freedom because we’re afraid of letting go of what’s comfortable? I strongly believe that the Lord has lives of great joy waiting for each one of us, but we often don’t let ourselves experience it because we let fear trap us in our comfort zones. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but when I was trying to decide if I was going to do this missionary year in Tennessee, the tried and true pros and cons list revealed that all my reasons for saying no to the opportunity were coming from a place of fear. All the reasons I had for saying yes were things that brought more freedom and joy into my life, even if that also brought some unknowns and new things. I stumbled upon this passage again at some point in the discernment process, and I felt very convicted to make sure I didn’t make my decision out of fear or an unwillingness to leave my comfort zone. The Israelites are a reminder to never be content with staying in slavery just because it’s comfortable or familiar. The Lord wants us to live lives of freedom in Him. Pope Benedict XVI understood this well when he gave us one of his popular quotes: “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
The final two verses are such a powerhouse, and I absolutely love them. First and foremost, Moses’ response to the Israelites saying they never should have left Egypt is exactly what we need to hear during times of fear:
“And Moses said to the people: Fear not: stand and see the great wonders of the Lord, which he will do this day: for the Egyptians, whom you see now, you shall see no more for ever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” -Exodus 14:13-14
Stand and see. Watch what the Lord will do for you and watch Him do it this day. Our enemies will be no more. Have full confidence in the Lord so you can stand and see what He will do!
Verse 14 keeps it going when Moses reminds them that the Lord will fight for them. The same can be said for us. The Lord does not expect us to fight our battles on our own! I love the visual this verse brings, especially, “you shall hold your peace.” Peace is often how He communicates His will to us. Just like how when we are physically holding on to something we can’t hold on to something else, so too when we are truly holding our peace, we have no room left to hold on to fear, or even to try and pick up a sword to fight the battle on our own. The Lord truly is asking us to hold on to our peace and to let Him fight for us.
If you take one thing from the Israelites this week, I hope it’s the courage to stand and see the ways in which the Lord wants to bring you into deeper freedom. As humans, we tend to take comfort in familiarity, even when there’s something better waiting for us outside of our comfort zones. Entering into the “wilderness” is what draws us out of ourselves long and far enough to see what we are truly made for. Do not let your comfort zone enslave you. Trust that the Lord will fight for you, step into the wilderness, hold your peace, and “stand and see the great wonders of the Lord.”
Stay close to Him and have faith!
-Brandy
Scripture quotations in this post are taken from the Douay-Rheims translation unless otherwise noted.
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