Exodus 14

A BUG! PANIC!

I recently spent time with my little friend, Ellia. She is Pastor Evan's  youngest daughter. I was in the hallway at church when she and her mom popped out of Pastor Greg's office in a hurry.

Ellia, known for her quiet, fragile voice was shouting, "A bug!! I see a bug! I don't like bugs. Mommy, I don't like bugs!" 


Crying, she came over to me and in her small, frightened voice she said, "Faye, I'm scared of bugs. We saw a spider. I don't like bugs." 

Using my stand-by distraction method, I said, "I don't either, but I like Lady Bugs. They're okay,  right? They 're cute."

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Ellia hurried into her daddy's office.

Mommy said, "I'm sorry. Ellia is very afraid of any kind of bugs. Even cute ones."

Daddy calmed her crying. "Don't be afraid," he told  her and  helped her to stand firm. In his hug of assurance he helped her to be still and quieted the panic.

But when it was time for me to leave, and she came out of Daddy's office to hug me good-by she whispered fearful words into my ear. "A bug, Faye, I saw a bug. I'm scared of bugs."

She hadn't moved on and I realized she was still caught up in her fear. I whispered back, "The bugs are all gone now, Ellia."

"The bugs are all gone?"

"Yes"

She smiled and ran back to mom with a happy voice. "The bugs are gone, Mommy. They are all gone!"

Today's pencil preaching is from Greg Ralston's sermon last week. He began by setting the scene of the original Passover event. The part where the blood of the sacrificial lamb is placed on the doorposts. The top part and the two sides of the door. The angel of death then passes over  the homes of these people.  Greg reminded us that if we draw a line from top to bottom and side to side, this forms a cross.

Then, as in Ellia's story, the Israelites went through the same range of emotions as she did.

Panic, as they came to the Red Sea. "Why didn't we just stay in Egypt? It's better than dying in the dessert."

Moses told them, "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. ¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Moses' words helped, some. It did stop their panic, but they didn't moved on from the fear.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground." 

When you are faced with a situation of panic listen to the word of God from the many places in the Bible where He says, "Don't be afraid." Then instead of rushing about with frantic urgency, stand firm on God's promises. Be still and listen for what to do next. Then don't get stuck in that fear. Take a step, and then another, and allow yourself to move on.