“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV
The key to letting God do the fighting for you is to be still. The verse above comes in the middle of one of the most epic stories in the Bible. Moses is leading the Israelites out of the slavery they’ve been in for hundreds of years. Pharaoh is in hot pursuit after them with his army of men in their horses and chariots. The Israelites are freaking out. They’re complaining to Moses that he should have left them in Egypt, it’s better than dying. They’re standing at the edge of the Red Sea, from all human appearance, trapped. And Moses tells them, “The Lord will fight for you…be still.” They were doing exactly what God wanted them to do. He was directing one of the greatest stories ever told. We’re at the climax of the story, what’s going to happen next? The only way the Israelites will find out is if they be still. How do we let God do the fighting? We be still.
The Israelites really have no choice but to be still. If they go back the way they came, they will run into Pharoah and his men. If they go straight, they drown in the Red Sea. There is no place for them to go. God often puts us in a similar situation. We feel like all of our options are exhausted. We’ve tried everything, and nothing has worked. We’re trapped in a situation with no way out. But that is because we’re looking at it from our limited human perspective. God’s ways our not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts, His perspective not our perspective (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV). Instead of giving up, we can do what Moses did, cry out to God (Exodus 14:10-15 NIV). When we cry out to God, He gives us our next steps.
When we cry out to God, He gives us our next steps.
As soon as God heard the Israelites grumbling to Moses, He gave Moses direction. He told them to “move on” (Ex. 14:15 NIV). For the Israelites, that meant walking into the Red Sea. But first, Moses had to part it. Moses raised his staff, stretched out his hand and parted the sea (Exodus 14:16 NIV). Where there had been no way, God created one. God knew what He was doing when He led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea. He knows what He’s doing with the situation you are in today. Whatever seems hopeless, God has a plan. Whatever seems lost, God has a plan. Whatever impossible situation you are facing, God has a plan. But first you have to be still.
Question of the Day:
What battle do you need to be still and let God fight for you?
Further Reading: Exodus 13:17-15:18 NIV, Matthew 21:23-46 NIV, Psalm 26:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV
