Move Forward. What Courage Looks Like When You're Still Stuck
Moses stood at the edge of the sea with an army behind him and nowhere to go. Then God gave him one instruction: move forward. What does courage look like when you are still stuck?
Sometimes faith is still. But sometimes faith has to move. The pressure is high, the exit is blocked, everything in you wants to freeze. That's where we find Moses in Exodus 14.
He's led the people of Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery, out of everything they've known. But now Pharaoh's army is coming fast behind them, and there's nothing ahead but water. No boats. No bridges. No time.
They're trapped. Tired. Terrified. The people are panicking. And in the middle of it, God says something strange:
"Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to move forward." (Exodus 14:15)
Forward? Into what? The sea hasn't parted yet. There's no dry ground to step onto. But God isn't asking for a plan. He's giving them a step.
Go forward, before the solution appears, before the problem is resolved, before the odds look any better.
No Map. Just a Command.
What God gave Moses wasn't a map. It was a command: "Raise your staff. Stretch out your hand." It wasn't dramatic. But it was faith in motion. It was Moses saying with his body: I trust You'll show up.
And God did. The water moved. The wind came. The way opened.
This is how courage works. Not always with clarity, but always with direction. It doesn't start with full confidence. It starts with response.
Sometimes God gives us promises to hold, like He did with Abraham. Other times, He gives us actions to take, like He did with Moses. Both are acts of courage. Both require trust. And both call us to the spiritual discipline of remembering what God has already said.
What If "Forward" Is the Answer?
Most of us wait. We overthink. We cry out for another word, another sign, more clarity. But what if God is saying the same thing to you that He said to Moses?
Why are you crying out? Go forward.
Forward Looks Like This
- Making the phone call
- Starting the application
- Booking the appointment
- Writing the paragraph
- Asking for help
- Saying yes
- Saying no
Not because the fear is gone. Not because you feel ready. But because God is nudging you forward, and that nudge is enough.
You Don't Have to Part the Sea
That's God's job. Your job is to move when He says move. Your obedience creates space for His power.
That's the rhythm of faith: hear, respond, move. Repeat. If fear is what's holding you still, these Bible verses for fear can remind you who walks with you.
Courage doesn't always feel epic. Sometimes it's just doing the next right thing when it's still dark, still hard, still unclear.
Practice for Today
Ask God: "What is the next step of obedience You're asking me to take?"
Write down whatever rises. Don't filter it.
Take the step. Small is okay. Timid is okay. Forward is enough.
**Take this with you:**Faith isn't always still. Sometimes it walks. Sometimes it moves toward the sea while the water is still in place. You don't need to part the way. You just need to take the step. And trust that God will do what only He can do.
We are building Doxa, The Encouragement App, because God's encouragement is not only for the moment we first receive it, it's for the whole journey.
Doxa is built to help you remember what God said. Record your testimonies, revisit them when life gets hard, and engage with Scripture and 1,600+ real stories of God's faithfulness in The Grace Record. Get started free.
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