Is it okay to just stay here?

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.” (Exodus 14:10-14)

There are a lot of times God brings us to a certain point in our lives and all we do is 'stand there and watch', hoping for the Lord to do all the work. The very next verse is God's directive to MOVE. In other words, don't just stand there, but engage yourself in what he is doing. Whenever God tells us to move, all the inaction on our part must cease. We may be scared, filled with all manner of emotional upheaval, but the call is to move, not stand still. 

Don't be afraid...don't run away. These are instructional words. Put fear far from you because God is going before you. Put your action into moving forward, not standing still, but allow the stillness of God's peace to be with you as you do. We might just want to stand still, or even turn back the way we came, but God isn't working 'back there'. He is working right where we are at in the here and now. The action required is forward movement - the attitude of heart required is peaceful trust.

How do we get to the place where we actually trust God enough to take that first 'big step' into the path he has prepared for us? Some will say that it is easier said than done, and you would be right on that account! Peace doesn't always come in the 'standing still', though. If you haven't noticed, we can feel the deepest peace when we finally step into what God has prepared for us. When we are finally taking that 'first step' onto the path God has prepared, there is a settling of all our insecurities and uncertainties. Why? Obedience pleases the heart of God like nothing else and where obedience is the course one takes, the heart and mind are sure to be rewarded with his gentle peace.

While Moses' instruction may seem to tell us to just stand there and watch, the original text actually uses words that tell us to remain still, stay calm, and be silent. Moses isn't telling them to stay rooted in their past, but to allow the stillness of God settle over them while they move into what God has prepared for them just ahead of where they are. Maybe God is asking some of us to be still, stay calm, and just be silent, but he isn't telling us to never take the big step! Just sayin!