There’s a lot of noise out there.
Around my house.
Online.
In my head.
Sometimes it’s all so loud I cannot hear myself think, much less hear Him speak to me.
Sometimes the noise is coming from me.
Kind of like Moses and the Israelites crying out to God just before He miraculously parted the Red Sea.
But Moses said to the people, Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. (Exodus 14:14)
I can imagine myself looking forward at a gigantic sea and behind me as the Egyptians gained ground, crying out in utter confusion and faithlessness, forgetting for a moment that the God of Universe is at the helm. Standing there in my doubt and disbelief at the irony of it all, rather than quietly waiting for my Father to act on my behalf.
I can imagine it because I do it, too. I noisily doubt and angrily cry out, “Where are you? Have you forsaken me? Why didn’t you just leave me back there where it was hard, but I wasn’t afraid of the unknown?”
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. (Proverbs 10:8)
We miss out on a lot when we waste time babbling foolishly rather than silently listening for His voice to guide and teach us. The sheer volume of our fear and doubt keeps us from blindly moving forward with the expectation that He will part the Red Sea for us if need be. Our pride loudly shouts out that we know it all (or at least enough).
It’s time to live boldly, friends. Listening for His voice. Allowing Him to direct our steps, even when it doesn’t make sense. Resting in the knowledge that the Creator of everything has it all under control and desires to teach us those things that will keep us safely in Him.
To do less is to allow the enemy a foothold. Because that’s what fear and doubt and pride and all the noise really is. The enemy.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:7)
Exodus tells us that the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians.
He will save us from our enemy, too.
But we must be quiet.
