As the Israelites were backed up against the Red Sea, the people were terrified. Pharaoh’s army was closing in behind them, and the sea blocked their escape. In their panic, they questioned why Moses had brought them out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness.
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.” (Exodus 14:13-14)
We know how this story ended:
- All night a wind blew that dried the floor of the sea
- The Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land
- Pharaoh’s army followed, but the sea collapsed and all of the soldiers drowned.
- The Egyptians whom the Israelites feared were never seen again.
God’s response to the Israelites through Moses offers two key assurances.
The Lord Will Fight For You
The Israelites did not need to depend on their strength or strategy. God Himself would handle this battle, as He did all of the other battles they would fight to settle in the Promised Land.
God was their Protector, Provider, and Deliverer.
When we face overwhelming odds, we can remember that God can act on our behalf.
Chris Tomlin beautifully captured this promise in his song Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies):
The God who knew you in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16), who made plans to prosper you before the world began (Jeremiah 29:11), and is never out of your reach (Psalm 139:7-12) is by your side.
We know that our battle against sin and evil won’t be won by our strength. We are not strong enough.
But the God that spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1) is fighting our battles for us.
As a result, through Jesus, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) against whatever is thrown against us.
God will be our shield and sun (Psalm 84:11), our fortress, our rock, and deliverer (Psalm 18:2), and our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1).
The song asks “Whom Shall I Fear?”
The answer is neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
You Need Only To Be Still
Being still has always been a challenge for me.
A neighbor once promised a nickel (it was a long time ago) to the child present who could stay quietest the longest. I immediately responded, “I lose”.
I don’t sit still; I fidget. Even in my sleep, I’m rolling around collecting bed linens like a burrito.
For the longest time at work, I had a little cartoon above my desk that said, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
I was like the 2 year old who played so hard that they fell asleep while eating their dinner.
When the Bible tells me to “… you need only to be still”, I struggle. I have to be doing something.
God told the Israelites who were facing Pharaoh’s army to “be still”. I would have been coming up with an “action plan” to quickly make weapons or to run away really fast or to surrender in a way that nobody was hurt.
The Israelites were challenged to “be still” and trust God.
They would not win the battle against Pharaoh’s army through their awesome strength and battle readiness. As slaves to the Egyptians, they had no weapons.
In this moment, the stillness God asked of them represented faith in and surrender to God, not fear or inaction.
This passage reminds me is that sometimes the greatest act of faith is to stop struggling and trust God’s timing and plan.
The battle has already been won.
We did not defeat sin and death.
God’s Son, Jesus Christ, fought that battle without our help and won it on our behalf.
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)
Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for this reminder that I don’t have the strength for this battle, but the Lord will fight for me. Give me the faith to trust You in everything.
Images are generated by ChatGTP, even the cute sleeping two-year-old boy.
I’m not good at being still either. Great article.