Exodus 14:13–14

Moses told the people: “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

This was a crunch moment in the history of the people of Israel. After the long succession of plagues, they were finally heading out of Egypt and it is said that they did so with fists raised in defiance. Surely Pharoah would at last be glad to see them go! But no, he changed his mind yet again and sent out his army to stop them. It must have been a truly terrifying moment. We are told that Pharaoh sent 600 of his best chariots after the people, which must have been an incredibly intimidating sight for them. The people immediately panicked and lashed out at Moses, blaming him for bringing them out into the desert to die. They argued that it would have been much better to have continued as slaves in Egypt than to be corpses in the wilderness.

It's never easy for leaders when people panic. Moses must surely have felt more than a little concerned that the mighty Egyptian army was bearing down on them. But just look at the calm and wise way in which he addressed the people. He urged them to look to the Lord rather than to the terrifying threat of the Egyptians. He reminded the Israelites that they were not alone and that God would give them the victory, so they should remain calm.

We face continual threats in our own day. In many places churches are small and struggling. Often they are facing huge financial challenges. Many people are finding it hard to navigate their way through the moral challenges which our society poses. In

many countries Christians are a small and persecuted minority. And everyone is aware of the enormous challenges to our world’s way of life from climate change, international terrorism and regimes that have no regard for human rights. The challenges are many and we need to pray for Christian leaders to be just like Moses – calm and confident in God.

Question

What do you think we need to learn from Moses’ example?

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for our leaders. Help them to live so close to you that they will always be calm and confident in their leadership. Amen

Released on 27 Sep 2024