Day 2 in the Wilderness: The best way to keep a raging river from sweeping you down is to stay out.

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil…”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭23:2‬a NKJV‬‬

We’ve all seen the images: young people breaking through windows and barriers to loot stores. We see a lot of this behavior during protests. At these times you see people do things they would not ordinarily do in a smaller group, and never do on their own. Yet, because the group is doing it, they also do it. This behavior is but one type among many we find ubiquitous in crowd situations.

Many of us have heard of human stampedes resulting in deaths and serious injuries, all because of panic. Fear, anger, even exuberance, can ignite behavior in crowds you would never see in smaller groups or with individuals.

Tragically, taking group dynamics and adding the extreme stress and threat from a crisis situation, can cause people to do ridiculous things, often rendering a much worse predicament.

It’s easy to get caught up in a moment of stress and allow yourself to be swept into action by a crowd. It’s like stepping into a raging river; your choice of direction is negated by the press of the current.

We see that Jesus warned that the pressure of the Last Days would bring an evil or destructive sway.

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:11-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭21:25-26‬ NKJV

Even today, the stirring being experienced all over the world is causing many people to get caught up in the tumult, taking them to no where good.

Today we find the Lord warning His people to not allow the pressure of crowd response to cause them to do evil. You see, the people are in uncharted territory. The challenges of coping with the uncertainty are being exacerbated by the arduous physical realities. These factors make the people vulnerable to acquiescing to the loudest voices; and that they did—more than once—to their own detriment!

Remember, don’t make the challenges of surviving a pressing worse by being swept in the wrong direction by the crowd.

For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:

The best way to keep a raging river from sweeping you downstream is to stay out of it.

#40daysinthewilderness