The Lord brought me to the passage in Exodus 14:13-18, yesterday morning.
“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.
Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
First, I love how the Lord tells the Israelites to “be still”. It’s not their physical beings that He is referring to, it’s their hearts. The Israelites had been freaking out because the Egyptians were coming after them to attack them. They were in panic mode, and pretty rightly so, considering their situation. They had thought they had been delivered from their enemies, only to have them continue to pursue them. But the Lord answers their “freak out” and basically says to chill out. Stop worrying and have peace. Be still and trust that I have you. Even though all you see right now is a huge impossible ocean in front of you and terrifying enemies in back of you, trust me.
So yes, good.
Secondly, I love how the Lord doesn’t just leave them at “be still”. He says to Moses “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on”. He tells them to have peace in their hearts and then He commands them to get going.
I see myself as often getting caught up in “being still” or “moving on”, but I have a hard time putting the two together. I have such serene moments with the Lord, knowing that He has a beautiful plan for me. But when I start walking forward in those plans, it’s easy for me to forget to have peace. I get caught up in the movement and it creates an easily accessible questioning chaos in my heart.
But, what the Lord so strongly impressed upon me yesterday, is that both components are so vital for bringing glory to God. It’s when we are in the midst of moving, running away from enemies and facing impossible tasks, that we have the ability to be such a strong force for the Lord.
The Lord directly states this in the end of this passage when He tells Moses, “And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
Let’s not just work on “being still” or “going out and doing.”
Let’s walk in “being still and moving.”
