Don't Be Afraid

So last night at small group we were studying the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea as recorded in Exodus 14. The verses that jumped off the page for me were 13 and 14:

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

As someone in my group astutely observed, the command to "not be afraid" is the most often repeated command in all of Scripture (not to mention nearly always being the first words out of an angel's mouth during an encounter with us frightened humans.) Think about that. How much of life do we lose, acquiesce and surrender simply out of fear? With my overly cautious and melancholy nature, I find that I am particularly susceptible to this.

It's such a powerful verse. Don't be afraid. Stand firm. The Lord will fight for you. Be still. With one of the most powerful armies of the ancient world bearing down on them, I am sure the instinct would have been to flee in a thousand different directions. But Moses called them to hold the line.

I am also struck by the almost harsh abruptness of the next verse.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

Of course, a common manifestation of fear is paralysis. Sometimes you need a firm exhortation (and kick in the pants) to just get a move on.