Quit Crying About It!

Exodus 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

I can't tell you how many times I heard my Mama and Daddy tell me to "Quit crying about it and just do it!"  I used to hate walking through the cow pasture at night to go to grandmas or to leave grandma's and come home.  I was scared to death something would get me.  Mama would tell me to run something over to Grandma's house and fear would seize a hold of me of that boogey man outside just waiting for me.  Mama would get stern with me and tell me to quit crying and obey.

 As I got older, the tasks I was afraid of got a little scarier.  But Mom and Dad still had the same advice.  I remember Dad sitting down with me a few years back when I was in a particularly hard spot and he simply quoted the Scripture.  He asked me what I was going to do about it.  Basically he was telling me to quit crying about it and do what was right. 

In Exodus 14, Moses has just led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  He has just done something he thought himself incapable of doing.  He was not a super human being, matter of fact, we are given insight in the Bible of how Moses didn't feel worthy of the calling God had on his life.  Now here this normal man stands in front of all the people of Israel who are howling and complaining because Pharaoh's army is marching towards them.  Moses tries to rally them by telling them that the Lord will fight for them, and yet in the very next verse we hear the Lord ask "Moses, why are you still crying to me about this?"   In his heart, Moses must have been silently praying for God to DO SOMETHING!  Yet, God didn't want to hear anymore from Moses, He wanted Moses to ACT and tell the people to go forward.

There are a lot of times when we wrap ourselves in a little security blanket of prayer and chide anyone who tells us to do anything differently.  We respond to their counsel with a haughty, "I'm still praying about it!"  When all we are doing is waiting in fear of what God really wants us to do.  The Holy Spirit nudges us and nudges us and we push it off as our own emotions and tell ourselves to just keep praying about the situation.

But maybe God is telling you to stop crying to Him about it and do what He wants.  God already knew He was going to open that sea and lead His children to safety and God wanted Moses to get on with it.  So, let me ask you, is there something you need to get going on?

Is there someone you need to just walk up to and hug while asking them to forgive you?  You are afraid they will cuss you out, right?  The devil has built all this fear up in you, when in reality, God has told you what to do in Ephesians 4:32 (Be kind and forgive).  So, there shouldn't be fear in obedience! I wonder how many marriages could be saved right now if someone would just give in and apologize?  Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of someone whose heart is right with God.

Is there something you know God has told you to do?  You keep asking Him for His help, but He has already empowered you through His Spirit and His Word, so get up and get going!  Don't let fear hold you back when God is telling you to go forward!

Peter was on the mountain and saw Jesus pull back His temporal body and show His True Power. Imagine witnessing that moment!  You would think after seeing Christ for WHO He really was would be enough to make you never stray again!  Yet, not long afterwards, Peter got afraid and denied Christ three times.  He backslid.  (Don't we all?)  But just a few weeks later, Peter preached Pentecost and thousands were turned to God.  There is a plain example of someone overcoming their fear and moving forward in God's Perfect will.

You may have just messed up yesterday, but that shouldn't keep you from accepting God's forgiveness TODAY and moving forward!  He has a plan for your life.  He wants you to keep walking with Him every day.  He wants to teach you about these things Mom has been sharing with us from 2 Peter!  (Hello! Do you see who God used to write that book?  PETER!)

Take a deep breath, confess to God your lack of willingness to act on His commands and then get up and do whatever it is you know you are supposed to do.  Don't lag behind like Lot's wife and turn around and chicken out!  You can do it!  You may tremble while you are, but you'll find there is Someone with a whole lot of Strength bearing you up on His Wings!  The Lord WILL fight for you!

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri