Fear Not! Protection DevotionsSmakprov

Do Not Be Afraid – Stand Firm “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’" (Exodus 14:13-14). This is what Moses told the Israelites as the Egyptian army was bearing down on them. The Israelite’s backs were to the Red Sea and they had virtually nowhere to go unless…unless God intervened. There were probably over two million Israelites in the crosshairs of the Egyptian army. They had no earthly weapons, but they had a mighty God who has the entire universe at His disposal. Moses had seen many signs and miracles God had done to get them to this point with no real sense of urgency on his part or the part of God. Now, however, Moses’ faith was surely put to the test with the Israelites crying out against him. So Moses told the people, "Do not be afraid," but I’m sure even his faith was stretched on this day. So what did God do to protect the Israelites? 1)  He put an angel “between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long” (Exodus 14:20). 2) “The LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land” (Exodus 14: 21). 3) “The LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving” (Exodus 14:24-25). 4) “The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen — the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived” (Exodus 14:27-28). God was into every detail to protect His people. As Moses told them, “Do not be afraid, stand firm…” Is this a God whom you can trust? Isaiah tells us, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9). Stand firm in your faith, do not be afraid, and you too will see the deliverance of the Lord in your life. Prayer: Lord, help me to stand firm in my faith. I believe that what You did for the Israelites in the wilderness You will do for me because You are the same yesterday, today and forever. You are my deliverer and I will not be afraid. In Jesus' name, amen.