But With God

It’s October, the official spooky season, a time filled with pumpkin spice lattes, fall-scented candles… and attempting to wear sweaters in our relentless SoCal heat.

How fun and how utterly strange! With it being the official spooky season, I figured what better to address in these daily devotionals than fear? Because, if we’re honest with ourselves, fear doesn’t just pervade our lives and culture from October 1st to October 31st.

No, fear is ever-present in Western society today. We’re constantly afraid, anxious about finances, scared of failure, anticipating job loss or divorce, biting our nails over the raising of our children. And while many of our emotions are understandable, oftentimes, when they pervade every day, every hour, or every moment… there might be a bigger problem. If you struggle with pervasive fear, you might need to check where your trust lies. For each week of October, I’ll share a different story of fear and courage in the Bible.

Today, we’ll start with Moses.

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
- Exodus 3:11-12 (ESV)

God has called Moses to lead His people out of slavery. Moses’ response: “Who me?!”

Moses was facing two scary realities:

1. He had to go back to a place of pain. Leading the Israelites out of Egypt meant returning to a place filled with past trauma and hurt. Sometimes in our stories, we can be most afraid not of future problems, but of facing our past struggles and mistakes.

2. He feared he wasn’t enough. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to be the kind of leader that would accomplish this incredible feat. When trusting in himself, there was no way he would be able to be enough.

But God responds to Moses’ fear with these powerful words: “I will be with you.”

When we are afraid of the skeletons in our closets, when we’re afraid we won’t measure up, when we’re afraid we don’t have what it takes... God is with us. God rewrites our story, His love and mercy cover our past and heal our grief. God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. When we trust in Him instead of our own strength, we find the courage to face even the scariest feat.

Moses was afraid at first, but with God, he led His people to freedom. But with God, he had courage. But with God.

Where is your “But with God” story? Maybe, it’s a time in the past where you were terrified you couldn’t do it, BUT WITH GOD, the story changed. Maybe, it’s something you’re going through right now, worried the fear will overtake you, BUT WITH GOD, you will have victory. Maybe, it’s a future concern that you lose sleep over, BUT WITH GOD, you can have peace.

God walks with you in your past hurts. God equips you for your present calling. God is preparing you for your future victories. This October, we may have fear, BUT WITH GOD, we can have triumph.

Moses’ story is our story.

You may not be parting the Red Sea, BUT WITH GOD, you can navigate the work crisis, you can have peace in the health scares, you can be a leader when your children are rebelling. BUT WITH GOD, we can have courage in the face of fear.

Do you fear your past hurts? Do you worry you're not enough for your present struggles? Are you wondering how you’ll navigate the future “Red Seas”? You may be afraid, BUT WITH GOD there is more to your past, present and future stories. The endings are already written, and He wins every time.

Cristina Schmitter

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