Eat, Run, And RememberSample

Exchange the Known for the Unknown

As ready as the Israelites must have been to leave slavery in Egypt, they were exchanging 430 years of known history for the unknown wilderness. Leaving was the next logical step after being released by Pharaoh—but to where? When we are unsure of the ultimate destination, it is enough to simply take the next logical step. I wonder if Todd Beamer or his seatmates knew what they would do if they were able to subdue the hijackers. I’m guessing none of them were pilots, but they didn’t let that concern paralyze them. They simply did the next logical thing and stormed the cockpit.

Leaving Egypt meant taking a step from the known into the unknown for Moses and the Israelites. Have you ever done that? Have you ever driven onto the freeway with a trailer behind, moving from the known of a familiar home to the unknown? Students, have you walked into a new school, not knowing a soul —or into a locker room or athletic field you’ve never seen before? Ever begun in a new job without a clue about what to do, or perhaps graduated from college and had no idea where your first job might lead you? If so, then you know what a known-to-unknown exodus feels like.

At some point in life, each of us will be faced with a known-to-unknown step in following God’s will. The question is whether we will be ready to roll! Are you ready to move from the level of obedience you have known to a more challenging level? From the comfort of sleeping in on Sundays to volunteer in a congregation where God desires to use you. From the known of rarely sharing your faith into the unknown of flying your flag high for Christ, no matter what they might think. Each of us has developed coping mechanisms of comfort and efficiency in our “known” lives. But what if today—right now—God told you to tuck in your robe, get your sandals fastened and be ready to eat and run? Could you? Would you?

The courage to take the next step isn’t manufactured through self-effort. It comes from walking by the power of the blood of Jesus into a new covenant, a new relationship. The Israelites did not leave Egypt alone. God was with them. They did not leave empty handed. And He would provide again as they journeyed.