WHAT’S YOUR FOCUS?
- DAY 6
- Fear File : The Isrealites
- Scripture: Exodus 14:11-12
- A continuation of our study yesterday. Click here to read and catch up
Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Exodus 14:11-12
When things don’t go the way we expect, it is in our nature to want to know why. We review the entire process in our heads from the moment the thought was conceived, trying to find a logical explanation for the situation – expected or unexpected.
In our text today, we find the Israelites asking questions. Did you bring us out here to die? They asked. Why have you done this to us? Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone? Now see what you did, we are all gonna die!
I was a bit taken aback when I read this. I thought, “did they not just finish crying out to God? Why are they now asking questions and blaming Moses? Surely they knew that God wouldn’t have done all that drama in Egypt for nothing.” And just as I was about to settle on my self-made judgement seat, I was reminded of my own questions not too long ago. When it seemed everything was going everywhere but where I expected. Then it hit me, alas! The Israelites and I are not so different.
It Still Looks The Same
Sometimes when we pray from a fearful heart, we tend to focus more on the situation than the Lord. Fear can shift your focus. So I believe that they panicked because the situation still looked the same as it did before they prayed.
Beloved, the first thing to know about prayer is that it is an act of faith. If you come to God you have to believe that He rewards those who seek Him. The moment you “closed your eyes to pray, what you said in effect is, I trust you can handle it.” If you ask, believe that you have received.
We cannot walk by faith if we stay focused on our fears. We can’t walk on water if we are watching the waves. We have to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We have to keep our mind on His word above our world.
Prayer is also a beautiful exchange. We exchange our anxiety for peace. We go to God heavy laden, we drop our weight and pick up his burden (Matthew 11:28-29). How do you do this? By replying those anxious thoughts with the word of God. This is how we win.
I pray that you realise that no situation is beyond the capacity of God. I pray that you realise that He hears even the silent prayers of your heart and he answers.
In Jesus Name
Click here to watch a clip on today’s devotional.
Shalom.
