When we face a crisis of any kind, it’s easy to flip out and start panicking, especially when we don’t see a way forward. It’s in these moments that we need to turn to God, take a deep breath and trust Him by faith with all our hearts. If He has promised us something, then He will bring it to pass in His perfect timing no matter how difficult our situation looks in the natural. He is faithful!

Let me share an example from scripture that illustrates this point. God’s people, the Israelites, had just been delivered out of slavery by God’s miraculous power and mighty outstretched arm. They were finally free from over 400 years of bondage and mistreatment by the Egyptians. And now, they marched triumphantly out of Egypt with a new boldness and confidence that the Creator of the Universe was with them and fighting for them. Everything God said He would do, He did and there was peace…at least temporarily! The Bible records,

“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭13:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

God led His people to the Red Sea and then hardened Pharaoh’s heart so his entire army would chase after the Israelites. Not exactly what the Israelites had in mind. But when does God do anything the way we want Him to? His ways are different and higher than our ways, much higher!
The Bible shares what God said to Moses next,

“And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told” (Exodus‬ ‭14:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬).‬‬‬‬

God was about to do something that had never been done before, something that would be etched in the memory of His people and shared for generations to come. He was about to part the Red Sea and destroy the mighty Egyptians, once and for all.

But first, God allowed the enemy to get close, very close, maybe even too close for comfort, for God’s people. In fact, the Israelites started to panic! They freaked out and complained, questioning the faithfulness of God!

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness’”” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭14:10-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬)!‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Doesn’t that sound like us at times? When we don’t see what God is up to and our backs are up against a wall or a Red Sea experience so-to-speak, we, many times, have a tendency to complain, telling God how unfair life is and why He isn’t faithful to us. We may even tell God we want to go back to our bondage because it seems easier. It’s in these moments of uncertainty, when we don’t see a way forward, that we need to trust God and what He has promised us. We need to remind ourselves about how faithful God has been in times past, even though we can’t see a way forward in the present. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God. Just because we can’t see a solution, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have one. God is simply inviting us to trust Him by faith, because He has the answer. And He will show us which way to go at just the right time.

This is what Moses had to do and he began encouraging his people to do the same. Right in the middle of the mayhem, there was a powerful statement that Moses made when his fellow Israelites started panicking. He said,

“The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Moses was inviting his people to trust God. They all had just experienced the Lord do incredible miracles, which forced the Egyptians to let them go. But because there was now some adversity and pressure they didn’t expect or see coming, they quickly forgot God’s faithfulness and went into panic mode.

We can do the same thing. And unfortunately, if we let our carnal reasoning and flesh lead our lives, this way of thinking can keep us from stepping into the full plan and purpose God has for us as Believers. The next time you are in the middle of a storm, I encourage you not to panic. Your situation didn’t catch God off guard or by surprise. In fact, He is well aware of what you are going through. Could it be that God is taking you a roundabout way to your final destination? When you don’t see the way, it’s a good time to STAY CALM and make a decision to trust God by faith. He is faithful, which means, every dream or promise He made to you, He will bring to pass at the appointed time. Be okay with not knowing. God knows and that’s good enough. The righteous man or woman shall live by faith, so stay calm and trust God when life doesn’t make sense or is out of your hands. He is leading you one step at a time.

Some simple steps to apply when fear and panic try to overwhelm you:

  1. Stay Calm. One sign of knowing you are trusting God is that you are calm and your inner man is at rest. It doesn’t mean you won’t feel fear, but you are not letting those feelings rule you or make your decisions for you.
  2. Don’t make quick decisions out of fear or frustration like the Israelites did. When we panic, our perspective has a tendency to get blurred or skewed. So take your time, not rushing into a decision quickly.
  3. Seek God, meditate on truth from the Bible and pray. Ask Him for wisdom on which path to take. He promises to lead us!
  4. Follow Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. One characteristic or fruit of walking by the Spirit is peace.

A Prayer for you: 
Lord, I pray you give everyone who reads this blog post the courage and faith to trust you when life doesn’t make sense. Give my brothers or sisters in Christ your super natural peace that transcends all understanding. Help them to hear your voice in the midst of confusion and all the other worldly voices shouting in their ears. Show each one of them which path to take that will lead them into their divine destiny when the time is right. You promise to lead us into truth and into our God-given purpose, so I ask that you do that on behalf of all who read this. And I ask that you help them to stay calm and trust you by faith, in Jesus name amen.