This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. Exodus 12:11
The Israelites cried out to God for deliverance and prayed earnestly for relief from their difficult lives in Egypt. God heard their prayers and was happy to answer, but He wanted them to be ready to move, and to expect Him to show Himself strong on their behalf. He wants us to live in that same state of expectancy. When you bring your requests before God, do you really believe He will answer? That’s a question we should challenge ourselves with every time we cry out to God. What would you do differently if you lived with the certainty that He heard your prayers and was in complete control of your situation? That’s the state of mind He wants us to have.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 NIV
The deliverance they were receiving required them to leave behind the familiar. Quite often, God’s answers to our prayers require us to trust Him completely and follow Him into unfamiliar territory. He sees the whole picture, but to us it’s often hidden. That’s where faith and trust come in. As hard as life in Egypt had become, it was all the Israelites had known. I’m guessing, if given a choice, many would have preferred God change their circumstances within Egypt rather than move them out of it. In hindsight we can clearly see that would not have been in their best interest. There is comfort in the familiar, even when the familiar is less than ideal. When you pray, are you willing to embrace God’s answer, even if it means stepping out into the unknown, even if it involves radical change?
When we ask God to step in and make things better in our lives, we need to do so with our shirt tucked in, our shoes tied, and our car keys in hand. In other words, we should pray expectantly and be ready to move in whatever direction the Lord leads. We can’t fear the unknown. Instead we must trust both His wisdom, and His love for us, understanding that where He leads us, He will accompany us. And as long as He is with us, we have nothing to fear!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV