What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do

(Editor's Note: This blog was written by Adam Borcicky who is interning with The Stand's Engage division.)

As I grew through my youth group and onto my college years, several times I have had to ask God, “What do You want me to do?” I was trying to figure out where to go to college and what my major would be. When I finished my undergrad work, I had to ask: “Do I go to work, or do I continue my education? Where do I need to live? What about a future spouse?” It seems like these questions never stop and the truth is, they never will.

What do Christians do during those seasons of questions? What if God never answers? It may feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. Let us look at a passage of Scripture where the Israelites dealt with the same dilemma and how they reacted to it. Let us see what we can learn from them.

Exodus 14:13 reads,

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (NKJV).

After Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, his heart hardened and he pursued them. The Israelites were stopped by the Red Sea. With the sea before them and the Egyptians pursuing behind them, they became fearful. They did not know what to do. This verse explains three commands God gave through Moses for His people in their time of crisis.

The first command was “Do not be afraid.” Fear came upon them from both directions. Fear is blinding. It can distract us from the plan God already has for us. The Devil will try to remind us of our past. He wants us to doubt God’s forgiveness and make us believe that we have ruined our future with God. On the other hand, we fear the future because we are not aware of what is in store for us. We overthink every decision, assuming the worst possible outcome. However, God’s command contradicts our nature of fear because He knows that He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

The second command from God was to “[S]tand still.” God knows exactly where we are in life. He wanted the Israelites to be in that specific location at that specific time. It was all part of His big plan. How many times do we ask God to get us out of a situation? Instead, we need to ask Him, “What are you teaching me through this?” We ask this because God uses times such as these to grow us (James 1:2-4). When God leads you somewhere, stay there until He gives you direction to move elsewhere.

Lastly, Moses commands, “see the salvation of the Lord.” God will fight for you when times get rough. Whenever the Devil attacks you, seek the Lord and He will prevail. God is with us and is fighting for us. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (NKJV). Again, we are to seek God. We must keep our focus on Him rather than our own circumstances.

In God’s timing, we read in Exodus 14 that He provided a way out. Through Moses, God parted the Red Sea which allowed the Israelites to cross and subsequently drowned the Egyptian army. If He provides a way for the Israelites, why should we not expect Him to do the same for us? When we are stuck in a seemingly impossible situation, God will open up a miraculous way out in His timing.

Author Corrie Ten Boom once said,

“If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest.”

When we look to God, we will not be afraid. We can stand still in peace, knowing that we are exactly where God wants us to be. Focus on God, continue to seek Him, and He will make a way out.