I try to place myself in Exodus 14. My heart begins to be
overwhelmed at the very thought. Is it even possible to stand still, not fear,
be silent and watch as the enemy approaches? Knowing you are equipped to fight
but everything inside you is drained. You know not only do you not have the
energy to fight and just can't but the will to fight is gone and it would be easier
to just give in, let the enemy conquer and keep doing what you've always been
doing. Armor and swords get heavy. Fighting
requires so much more than you feel you've got. The enemy seems constantly to outsmart and
overpower you, what’s the use?
As the people were leaving Egypt carrying the plunder God
had supplied and armed for battle, their outlook is described as triumphant or
defiant. Sayonara, Egypt. We’re out of
here!
But then directions come from God through Moses. “Turn back
and camp.” A detour. I’m sure these
directions didn’t make sense to a people fleeing slavery. Finally free, I
imagine they felt a strong urge to gain as much distance between themselves and
their oppressors.
As they turned back, Scripture says they “lifted their eyes”
and saw Pharoah and his army approaching. The triumphant attitude turned
quickly to great fear. Thoughts running through their minds must have been
something like “The gig is up let's just go back. It's better than dying.”
But God - I just love those two words together, but God. Those
two little words seem to change the outlook on everything, promising
that our faithful God is at work, even in situations that threaten to overpower
us! God had a very different plan he was putting into place a plan much larger
than each person, larger than the nation, larger even than Egypt.
Israel had a leader who listened to God and he spoke. “Do
not fear”- it was a command. Stop
fearing. Settle your heart.
“Stand firm.” another command said with authority. Do not
run as your feet are desiring to. Keep your stance; don't lose ground.
“See the salvation of the Lord.” Don't miss it. Keep watching. Take your sight
off the enemy and lift your eyes to what God is doing. This was not figurative
speech. It would happen before their
very eyes that day.
“Be silent.” Don't devise your own plans. This command was
for the mind as well as the mouth. Silence the fearful chatter. Silence the
plan of escape welling up inside. Silence the panic. Silence brings a calm both
inside and out; allow it to do its work as you watch.
They needed to observe God at work on their behalf as he
overpowered the Egyptians with one goal: to get glory over Pharaoh so the
Egyptians would know the God of the Israelites is the One True God.
The commands were clear. Be silent. Wait patiently. And
though your knees may be knocking and hands trembling and heart beating fast,
remember who God is. Remember his faithfulness and love. And stand firm as he
works for his glory.
As they stood there that day, did they realize that their
lives, their safety, their freedom was not the main story being told? As God
was leading the people out, there was another storyline coinciding. There is
always a story within a story. As they stood still did they see the story the
Lord Almighty was telling the entire world?
It wasn't all about them. Yes, what was happening in their lives at that
moment was part of their story, but the greater story was the story of God’s
sovereignty and power.
Life is often a struggle between knowing that God is
faithful and feeling utterly exhausted by the battles of you face. We are
equipped to fight, but sometimes God calls us to stand and watch Him fight for
us. We can lift our eyes to the enemy or we can lift our eyes to the Lord,
whichever we choose, what fills our vision also fills our hearts and minds.
Have you found yourself standing in a place of life kike
this? You know, the kind that leaves you with knees knocking, heart pounding
wanting to run back to the pseudo safety you’ve existed in for far too long?
Its at these times that, in God’s grace, He is showing us
the larger story happening around us. A greater story that engulfs our
own. He desires to rescue us, He wants
us to calm our hearts, lay down our own exit plans, stand still and watch Him
at work. In the midst of our rescue story He calls us to trust Him with the
battle. Trust Him with the path. Trust Him with the victory. Lifting our eyes to Him and His story puts our
own story into perspective, no matter how close the enemy is.
So when the enemy is closing in, when you feel you’ve got
nothing left, when your armor feels too heavy and your sword seems impossible
to lift, remember this. The battle is
never dependent upon your strength. It is always dependent upon the
faithfulness of the One who called you out of bondage.
My heart wants to ask why didn’t God just part the water to begin
with? Because His people needed to learn to lift their eyes to Him and trust
Him despite what the enemy was doing. And at the right time, He will told them to
go forward. The message to us is that the
same God who led you out of bondage is the God who will make a way through. Many
times detours are about His glory and not your story.
So stand firm, even when you tremble. Be silent, even when
the fearful chatter is filling your mind. Lift your eyes, even when the enemy fills
the horizon. And when God says move, step forward in faith.
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