The following devotion was excerpted with permission from Be not Afraid, by David Ivaska and published by InterVarsity Press. For more information on this and other valuable resources from IVP, click here.
Anticipating the Worst: Moses
WHEN YOU GO TO WAR AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. . . . The priest shall come forward and address the army. . . . “Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)
It is one thing to run into trouble in the course of a day. But what about those days when, before you even begin, you know you are going to face odds that are definitely against you and you will need to take a very unpopular course of action? What do you do? God’s instructions to Moses regarding how to anticipate those fearful, dreadful wars can guide us as well.
- In what ways does having time to think about a fearful situation only increase your fear?
- How did God anticipate those feelings here when he said, “Do not be terrified or give way to panic”?
- What past, present and future assurance does God give Moses?
- How would each of those assurances help to diminish the fear Moses and the people are anticipating?
- What do you dread the most this week or next?
- What difference would it make to know that God will fight for you, as he has in the past, until you see victory?
All-knowing and unflappable God, you know I often think the worst when I anticipate a fearful situation. Change my attitude by reminding me that you go before me and fight beside me.
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