And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. (Exodus 14:13-16)
Faced with insurmountable odds against them, Moses asked the people to do one thing that made little sense. He told them to stand still.
Moses wasn’t calling them to be passive, or to just sit and let God do all the work. Moses was giving them an invitation to stop striving to figure it out. They needed to stop running around in their own strength, trying to defeat their enemies. Instead, they needed to trust in and lean on God.
In today’s busy world, we need to stand still and see. Too often, we believe more natural effort on our part will solve our problems, but instead of working harder, we need to anchor ourselves to God’s Word. Let’s believe that God will finish what He began!
God delivered over a million Israelite slaves from their former master, the pharaoh of Egypt. Can you imagine how they felt when they looked behind them and saw the biggest, most well-equipped army of the day pursuing them? Many were probably frozen in fear. Others may have run to find hiding places. Perhaps some started swimming across the sea.
However, their salvation wasn’t in their own ability, but in God. God said He would deliver them. Why would He have brought them out of slavery only to die at the hands of pharaoh’s army? God got them out of the chains of bondage, and He would get them beyond the waters!
Practical Application
What challenge are you currently facing that seems impossible to defeat? Ask the Holy Spirit to let you see the problem like He does. Stand, see, and advance in faith! God will finish what He began.