Stand Your Ground
Scripture
Reading: Exodus 14:1-14
But
Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid.
Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see
today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay
calm.” (Ex. 14:13-14 NLT)
A growling, snarling dog is charging. What should
you do? One part of your mind says, stand
still, but another part says, let’s
get out of here. The dog appears to be in an attack mode, and as fear
whelms up in your throat your feet seem to be paralyzed. Standing your ground
in the face of threatening circumstances may be the hardest thing you’ll ever
be called upon to do. It certainly was for the children of Israel.
The
children of Israel faced such a situation when they came to the Red Sea. The
ground was shaking from the rumble of the many chariots racing toward them. They
were terrified and complained to Moses. What shall we do? Where can we hide?
They were caught between the sea and the advancing army of the Egyptians. They
couldn’t go back even if they wanted to and the mountains and sea had them hemmed in on all sides. All appeared to be
lost. Moses called out to God and then commanded them to, “Stand still and see
the salvation of the Lord.” I’m sure they must have thought, Are you serious Moses? Don’t you hear the
rumble of the chariots? Can’t you feel the shaking of the ground under our
feet? Stand still , you say! We are about to be overtaken and slaughtered and
you want us to stand still. That’s ridiculous! You’re out of your mind. We want
to run and hide except there’s nowhere to go. That’s what fear will do to a
person. Fear paralyzes our minds. Only as we exercise faith can we move
forward.
What
would you have thought? How would you have responded? The growling, snarling
dog is getting closer. Can’t wait much longer! If I decide to stand still, I
will have to exercise faith and trust in the Lord. That’s what the children of
Israel had to do. The Lord God was testing their faith to see if they would
rely completely upon him for their salvation. Finally, the Lord gave the
command to move forward. This was another test of their faith.
Our faith
is being tested on a daily basis. How will we handle life’s struggles? Will we
try to handle everything in our own strength? Will we rely upon our own
abilities to see us through? Or will we be like the children of Israel and be
willing to stand still and see how
God works things out? Trying circumstances have a way of showing up at our
doorstep. When our paycheck doesn’t come! When our child is sick! When we are
misunderstood and falsely accused! When we face circumstances that threaten our
security, do we reach out by faith and lay hold upon the promises of God, or do
we allow fear to immobilize us?
The
Psalmist said, “But you, O Lord, are a
shield to me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high” (Ps. 3:3). Stand
fast and trust the one who is fighting for you. The battle is the Lords.
