Exodus
14:13-15 (NIV)
Moses answered the
people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the
Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians
you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need
only to be still." Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying
out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
The
normal human attitude is to think that whatever happened thousands of years ago
cannot possibly apply to life today. So
we tend to ignore Old Testament writings and teachings, thinking that somehow
people today are totally different than people who lived back then. Yet, while specific circumstances are
entirely different (e.g. you are not being chased by Egyptians), emotional
reactions to stresses in your life are exactly the same. You face threats to your life’s security and
peace all the time and what is your normal reaction? Fear, even you don’t want to admit it. Fear can be evidenced in several ways---feeling
anxious, having doubt, worrying, and outright being scared.
God’s
answer to fear to the Israelites escaping the pursuits of the Egyptians is
exactly the same as to anything you are struggling with today---do not be
afraid. Why? Because by standing firm in your faith
instead of wavering in fear caused by lack of faith, the Lord will deliver
you. The word used for “deliver” also
means “salvation” and “victory”. The
Lord promises victory to you if you stop feeling afraid of whatever is bothering
you and instead stand firm by trusting in the Lord’s promises. The word for stand firm has a sense of being
proactive rather than reactive in that not only are you bracing yourself for
whatever happens but you also are presenting yourself in a more positive front,
like taking a strong stand on what you believe.
Oh, indeed, it takes great faith to position yourself in this way in the
face of adversity.
The
Lord will fight for you, writes Moses.
You don’t have to do anything, you only need to stand still. Oh, indeed, that is not human nature. Plus I think that there are times where we
must do something, e.g. applying the faith and works principle (James
2:14,26). For example, you need to
change something in your life, you pray daily for this, but you also must do
something. You want to lose weight,
prayer alone without changing your diet won’t help. You want a better job, prayer alone won’t
help without going out and looking for better opportunities. You want to be a better servant of the Lord,
you pray about it, but you also go out and start getting involved in ministry
and helping others in some way.
Yet,
other times, when you know deep in your heart that things are out of your
control, you can do nothing but wait on the Lord. When you are “at your wits end”, when you are
like the Israelites who have no place to turn, you stop trying and stand firm
and be still. Oh, indeed, it takes great
faith to do this. That’s why everyday
you need to work on deepening your faith and not wait until it’s too late and
you find how shallow your faith really is.
“Move
on” says the Lord. If you have faith in
Him, you have nothing to fear (except Him) and you carry on. You stand firm and still and let the Lord
fight your battles, but you also continue to live your life. Letting go and letting God does not mean
giving up, it means to move on. Are you
standing firm, being still, not being afraid, and still moving on with your
life? Perhaps not, but today can be the
start of a brand new walk of faith for you.
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