February 8, 2022

Exodus 13:17–18

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. (ESV)

Fear is a funny thing. There are so many classified fears, that we have come up with phobia names for them: Syngenesophobia – fear of relatives, Linonophobia – fear of string, Zemmiphobia – fear of the great mole rat, Papaphobia – fear of the Pope, Anatidaephobia – fear of being watched by a duck, Geliophobia – fear of laughter, and Arachibutyrophobia – fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth, to name a few. (Yes, these are real fears and phobias. And yes, the website I looked them up on had a picture of each fear, just to scare the living daylights out of someone who may have one of these fears. I've chosen not to add the pictures just in case one of these hits home with you).

We may laugh at some of these. But just because we don't experience it, doesn't mean they aren't real. And sometimes these fears drive people to do unhealthy things. Or worse, they keep them from experiencing and living a full life.

Over the years I've realized how many of the decisions I make are driven by fear. Maybe not a fear of string or peanut butter or the pope, but fear of other things. Fear of letting people down. Fear of driving people away. Fear of people not liking me. Fear of messing up or failure.

This verse reminds me how much God understands. As God is rescuing Egypt from years of mistreatment and slavery, He knows that the last thing Israel needs is to see the Philistines at war. Upon seeing them, and war, they might just decide that it is much better to remain a slave in Egypt.

And I get it. Egypt was miserable, terrible, awful. Always being looked down on and treated as second class people. In fact, not even that. They had no worth but to be a slave and work for the Egyptians. But what they had there was known. They knew exactly what to expect.

If they got out and saw wars and fighting and other awful things, they might turn around and stop following God, and go back to the comfort of their known misery. That is not the life God has created them for. So God takes them a different way. A longer way, but one where they won't be discouraged by war.

Now, to be fair, as Israel leaves Egypt they will wander in the wilderness another 40 years (because of their disobedience and unwillingness to follow and trust God). And all along the way we hear them complain: "We can't drink this water, we should just go back and be slaves," "This miracle bread that appears on the ground every morning isn't enough; we should go back to Egypt and be slaves." Over and over and over and over. They couldn't see the future or hope that God was leading them into, so they just wanted to go back to a miserable life they knew and understood. They didn't trust God.

So often I think Christians have a hard time fully following God. We struggle with the concept that all God offers is enough. We continue to dabble in old sins and habits that brought us "comfort" in the past. And yet, as the Bible declares, Jesus has rescued us and set us free from these sinful habits and actions. Why go back to them again and become a slave all over again? I love how Paul writes this truth so powerfully to the church in Galatia: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1; ESV)

 So how do we trust God and follow and leave fear in the dust?

Look at the last part of this verse. How does Israel leave Egypt? The answer - equipped for battle. They went out ready to face the unknown, ready to face an enemy, ready to fight for the freedom God has secured for them.

Here are some things that are helping me overcome my fears, how I am learning to live a life of faith equipped for battle, how I am learning to triumph over bad habits.

1. Prayer. I'm asking God for help, for direction. Yes sometimes, even when I feel like I have His answer, I still ask another 2 or 3 or 500 times just to make sure this is where God is leading (okay, maybe there's still some fear there but I'm learning).

2. Friends. I gather friends around me whom I trust and know that they have a heart to seek after God in all things. I bounce ideas and leadings off of them and seek their response and wisdom. And I seek their prayers in it as well.

3. God's Word. I am committed to reading from it almost every day. It doesn't have to be a bunch of chapters and pages. just enough to get an understanding, to be familiar with God and His ways more and more. So when it comes to decisions and making the right choices, I can always go back to His Word and make sure my actions are in line with His call on my life and living in faith.

What's holding you back? What fear might be keeping you from following God with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength? What is the "slavery" in your past that keeps luring you back and keeping you from following?

More important than that, how will you face each day equipped for battle, faithfully following God into things unknown? They way may seem longer, it may be unknown, but God will lead you to a place where you are most satisfied in Him, and He is most glorified.