Boldness

Recently I was reading the story of Moses and was struck by a couple of things. When God first told Moses to go to Pharoah, he reacted with skepticism. "Who am I?" he asked (Exodus 3:11). Even though he was unsure of his own ability, he trusted God to use him. As the plagues continued, it was clear that Moses' faith was growing. When Pharoah finally relented and said, "Go, worship the Lord as you have requested," (Ex. 12:31) I wonder if Moses felt a sense of relief. I wonder if he said to himself, "I'm glad that's over, now let's just get out of here." If it were me, I'd be ready for some rest, but that's not what was in store for him. As soon as the Israelites had gone from Egypt, Pharoah realized what he had lost, and began to pursue them to bring them back. As the Israelites approached the Red Sea, Pharoah's army began to overtake them. This is where Moses made a bold decision. A decision to take a stand for faith, even though he didn't know what the next step was. "Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.'"(Ex. 14:13) As I was reading this passage, it occurred to me, how did he know that the Lord would bring deliverance? When he had been approaching Pharoah in Egypt, God told him exactly what to do, and what the result would be. So, even though he needed the faith to follow through, he knew what was in store. But this was different. Moses boldly promised that the Lord would deliver, but God hadn't given him the plan yet. The next verses go on to tell how God instructs Moses to raise his staff so that the sea will part, and the Israelites can cross. To me, this seems like a defining moment in Moses' life. He knows the power of God, and the promises of God. In fact, he has had conversations with God in the past. He has seen God do what He promised, was there any reason to think that God wouldn't deliver them? I think there are times when we all have doubt about God's plan for us. We know that He is able, we just aren't sure if He's really going to follow through. If Moses had given into doubt or fear, the way the Israelites were, I'm sure they all would have been doomed. But Moses instead chose to speak faith, and God showed him the way. I wonder why God didn't tell Moses that this was going to happen ahead of time? Maybe it was because Moses was going to need that boldness many more times in his life. Today, I'm praying that I will be bold in my faith, and believe that God's promises are true.