There’s a story about Moses, who is called to lead God’s people out of the tyranny of Egypt. A clinical therapist I follow, who is not a theologian, had an insightful viewpoint on this story that I’d like to share with you. He said the conditions in Egypt were slavery and tyranny, but free of the risks of the journey ahead. As Moses moves them to freedom through the wilderness, they’re brought into a harsh reality. This new challenging life away from their previous comfort zone, even in slavery, caused them to start worshiping idols, other than God. The therapist noted this gave them a sense of purpose and enabled them to forget they were in an intense period of transition to the Promised Land.

Because of the tough desert journey, God’s people are angry at Moses and God. The account turns bizarre as venomous snakes are sent to plague and bite them. With a repentant heart, the people ask Moses to speak to God and rid them of this horrendous problem. You would think that God’s answer to Moses’ prayer would be to remove the snakes, right? Instead, God directs Moses to put a copper snake on a pole and hold it up. God instructs that when His people look at the snake, they’ll be healed. The ancient lesson this story communicates is that God doesn’t just take away our problems, God gives us the power to face them.

Friend, God doesn’t want to take away the things that scare us. God wants us to look upon scary situations with boldness and face them like the people we are — God’s people. You are a child of God. He has not called you to slink away.