And they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” Exodus 14:11
Fear has a way of making us forget what we know to be true.
An email arrives to say your job is being cut. Your doctor goes quiet while she’s reading your scan. Whatever steadiness you had five minutes ago is gone, and what comes out of your mouth surprises you.
You are not alone. The Bible tells about a people who had been slaves in Egypt. God had just freed them through astonishing rescues. They were camped by a sea, headed to the land God had promised them, when they looked back and saw the Egyptian army coming after them.
They said to Moses, their leader: “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? (Exodus 14:11a). These are people who watched God break an empire on their behalf only weeks before. But their fear was so loud in that moment, they forgot God’s faithfulness and care.
God doesn’t wait for their attitude to improve before He helps them. He puts a pillar of fire between the people and the oncoming army. He opens the sea for them to walk through. Despite their fear, God did for them what He’d promised. He finished what He started, and He’s the same today.
Your own life holds evidence of God’s powerful care when He answered your cries for help. Think about the time money arrived exactly when there was none, or a friendship came just when you needed it. You thought you wouldn’t survive but you did. Hold onto the evidence of God’s faithfulness in your life. Scripture promises, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 ESV). Let God’s faithfulness and love push back whatever fear you’re facing today.
