And the LORD said to Moses,
"Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward."
Exodus 14:15
Leadership is never easy. If you've ever been in a place of leadership, you probably know what it feels like to have people second-guess your every decision, complain behind your back, and talk negatively about you. Can you imagine, then, how Moses must have felt, tasked to lead 1-2 million Israelites through the wilderness? And can you imagine the sheer panic that must have broken loose amongst the Israelites as they realized they were being pursued by the entire Egyptian army? Here they were, the Red Sea ahead of them, and Pharaoh's armies behind them. They feared for their lives; they were trapped.
Having spent the past 430 years in slavery, the Israelites had no experience in warfare. In fact, they probably possessed not a single sword, arrow, or combat weapon. And with so much at stake, not only did they complain to Moses, they actually accused him of wanting them killed. "Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?" they cried to Moses (Exodus 14:11). Moses must have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, but when he cried out to the Lord for direction, God said, "Why do you cry to Me? Go forward" (Exodus 14:15).
Moses simply needed a reminder: It was God who had "led the people by way...of the Red Sea" (Exodus 13:18). And it was God who "went before them...in a pillar of cloud...and a pillar of fire" (Exodus 13:21). Moses had embarked on a journey without even a map to follow -- his only task was, literally, to follow God. Each day, he pursued the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night. His destination each day was not a city, landmark, or border -- it was the pillar, itself.
You see, not only does God lead us; He goes ahead of us. He doesn't just point us towards our destination -- He is our destination. When we live a life in pursuit of God, His will becomes our only aim, and His provision becomes our only need. When our eyes are fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we realize that we have no need to fear -- even when we feel trapped on all sides, because His "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).
Sometimes we make following Christ more difficult than it needs to be, especially when we feel pressed on all sides. "How will I accomplish this? How will I pay for that?" Sometimes we complain about, and like the Israelites, even accuse others for our problems. And sometimes we are the ones, like Moses, being blamed. But just as the Lord led the Israelites across the Red Sea, so He wants to lead you through the trials you face in your life today. You must take your eyes off the oceans of problems before you, and make Him your only focus. Today, make Christ your destination, and, like Moses, "go forward."
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