“Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” – Exodus 14:12
The Israelites were in the midst of the most dramatic move of God since Creation and they were utterly terrified! They’d seen God work powerful miracles to set them free from slavery in Egypt. Nonetheless, as Egypt’s terrifying army was closing in on them, they doubted everything. Despite everything they’d experienced, they desperately wanted to go back to their old situation. They wanted the safety of slavery, an evil they knew, rather than the intense and unknown danger of living in God’s will.
This can happen to any of us! When God calls us to follow Him into a new spiritual adventure, we are likely to reach a point of tremendous fear and doubt. Jesus invites His followers to take up their cross each day and follow Him wherever He leads. That will lead us into radical personal transformation. It will lead us into places we never imagined going. It may lead to new homes, new jobs, new passions, and new pursuits. It can lead to the mission field far away or the mission field in your office. And it can absolutely be frightening because we have no sense of control.
Whenever God is doing a mighty work in your life, expect a time of fear and doubt. Will this career change work out? Are you strong enough to minister to the desperate need of those to whom God has called you? Will greater boldness for Jesus get you in trouble? Has it already gotten you in trouble? Will your family reject your deeper enthusiasm for the Lord? Will the Lord provide the funds you need to keep a roof over your family’s head? The questions and doubts can be endless. Going back to the way you were (less obedient, less committed, less mature, less dependent on God) can become quite attractive.
This is very likely to happen when you commit to follow Jesus wherever He leads. The question is, when the fear rises within you, what will you do? Will you be like the Israelites and desperately want to go back to the old way? That’s both impossible and a terrible idea. Don’t long to go backward. Don’t long for a place of less dependence on Jesus. Cry out to God and move forward! Trust that He is with you and let Him strengthen and sustain you. When you’re in the spiritual desert, don’t waste time looking backward. Take up your cross and continue to #FollowJesus forward into the great adventure He has prepared for you!