From teaching my students about Moses, I learned a lot about how Moses responded to trouble or hardships compared to how the Israelites responded to hardships. In Exodus 14:10-31, we can read how the Isrealites looked and saw the Egyptians marching after them. The Isrealites turned to Moses and blamed him about bringing them there to die. They did not think about how God had used Moses to bring them out of Egypt. They did not think about how God had protected them from the plagues in Egypt. They chose to focus on the problem and not how God can deliver them. Moses responded differently. He responded by tellling them to not be afraid and 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 Did you catch what Moses shared for them to do? I love lists. I had to list it out for myself to see- 

1. Do not be afraid 

2.  Stand firm 

3.  See the deliverance 

4.  The LORD will fight for you 

5.  Be still 

 I know I needed to read this. There has been so many times when a problem has come up and I thought I needed to worry or come up with a solution or complain. I need to admit that. It is embarrasing to admit, but it it true. There has been times when I have complained and should have does these steps. I should have turned my worry to worship because God will always take care of us. He loves us very much. After reading this, I know I need to remember this great advice from a great leader. 

 Say it with me. Do not be afraid. Stand firm. See the deliverance. The LORD will fight for you. Be still. 

Moses trusted God. When Moses knew about the Egyptians coming after them, Moses put his trust in God. He didn't jump to complaining, worrying,  fearing, or blaming. He trusted God for the solution. He trusted God for protection and deliverance. We can trust God, too. He cares for each of us. Remember 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." So take a moment right now and think about what is going on in your life. Take a deep breath, and remember we have assurance and hope. The Bible shares so many times to not be afraid. When you are facing this hardship, stand firm in your faith. Remember God is always with you and will not leave you. One of my favorite songs right now is "Another in the Fire" by Hillsong. Jesus was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They stood firm in their faith and were delievered from the fire. For many of us, we are not in a literal fire, but we may be going through stress from work, family, health, finances, or more.  The Lord will help you too. Whatever you are facing, He will walk with you through it. It can help to keep a journal because journaling helps with mental health and stress. Journals can also help you to see how God has helped you get through different trails and hardships. 

 The last three steps are see the deliverance, the LORD will fight for you, and be still. As you are going through different problems that come up in life, we can have hope that the LORD will deliver us. He will help us through whatever it is that is going on in our life. He is the way maker. When I was home during the shut down with the pandemic, I could feel the fear of the unknown. Looking back, I praise God for helping our family through that time. He provided for our family when the grocery stores were barren. He protected our family as we continued our lives. Going to work, going to school, and going in public places. When we are going through a hardship or stressor in our lives, sometimes we do not see how God is working. Sometimes we are so close to what is going on in our lives and focused on what is going on that we need to step back and see how God is working. Just like Moses said, the LORD will fight for you, be still. The be still part can be hard, but I realized that the be still part is important.  I hope that makes sense. We need to be still so that we take time to pray and read our Bible. Pray to God about what is the solution. Pray for His peace and comfort. Pray for His guidance and direction. I have learned that it is important to be still so that I don't rush to any solution. Sometimes rushing can make things worse. Join me sweet friends to remember these 5 steps from Moses. Join me to remember 

1. Do not be afraid 

2.  Stand firm 

3.  See the deliverance 

4.  The LORD will fight for you 

5.  Be still 

 If you are going through a hardship now, please find comfort that the Lord is with you. He will help you. You can share any prayer requests with me through my contact page. All prayer requests are confidential and are only used in prayer. They are not shared with anyone. Feel free to join my newsletter where you can receive encouragement and freebies each month. I have attached a printable wall art below that you can download. This wall art has these 5 steps to help us remember, we are not alone. The LORD loves us so much that He will help us with any hardship that we are going through.  Many times we go through things in life and then later we are able to help others who are going through similar events. Thank you for joining me. Remember to let your light shine!