The Hebrews were told to leave Egypt by the Pharaoh and everything was going great. They were happy and filled with joy because God had rescued them from slavery. All that switched when the Pharaoh changed his mind and began to pursue the Hebrews. The Hebrews cried out to God and complained to Moses. It was easy to praise God when they were leaving Egypt, but now they were under pressure. Now things were not going well. Now following God was not easy.
Life is like toothpaste and when you are under pressure, what is on the inside comes out.
Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, 11 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? 12 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!’ ” [1]
Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.[2] Following Jesus is not getting your own way. Following Jesus is not just when I feel like it. Following Jesus is giving up my will for the sake of building the Kingdom of God and it is a daily happening.
That is not easy, and we need God’s strength to help us pick up the cross. The good news is when we pick up the cross and follow Jesus, He opens doors to us in life we never thought were possible. Our heart begins to be transformed. We begin to live for others and not just for ourselves. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” [3]
Lord, help me to follow You no matter the circumstance. Help me, Heavenly Father, to rely on You when things become difficult and I want to run away. Jesus, thanks for walking with me and loving me. Pick me up when I fall. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Help me to take up the cross daily. Amen. Our ministry loves to connect with our readers. If you have a prayer request or a comment, please let us know. Also, if this devotional helped you, please share it with others. To hear more about following God when you are under pressure, listen here; https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/the-footsteps-of-moses/following-god-in-difficult-times
[1,2,3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.