"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Exodus 14:14
I know you have heard this verse a lot, especially on Pinterest in pretty script letters with a floral background. It makes you feel at peace and makes a good phone background, but what's the true background leading up to the Lord saying these words through Moses? I'll try to make this short, because I know I babble a lot, but this is one of my favorite Bible stories.
The background.
Does everyone know the story of Moses parting the waters? K awesome, because I'm about to tell you a little summary of it. So in Exodus 14, Moses is leading these Israelites out of Egypt (where they had been slaves to the Pharaoh). The Lord then tells Moses He is going to purposely harden the Pharaoh's heart to come after the Israelites to fight and kill them. So Moses is like "10-4". Not later after that the Israelites look up and see the Egyptians marching towards them to fight. The Israelites were terrified, crying out to God. They told Moses, "Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone' ... It would be better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Moses basically tells them to chill out, stand firm, and don't freak out. God's got this - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Then the Lord responds with why are you freaking out? Get a move on and hey Moses part that sea over there. (I hope y'all know I'm hard-core paraphrasing). PLUS God says, "I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army." God parts the sea for them, the Israelites pass through (ok, whoa). The Egyptians come in after them ready to kill and God literally "jammed" their wheels and confused them. They say heck to the no, the Lord is on their side, fighting for them, let's go! But then the Lord pulls through showing his power and he lets the waters flow back as they were before crashing in over the Egyptians, leaving no survivors.
Don't freak out - let go.
Exodus 14:13-14 says, "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.'" I asked the Lord to show me what this looks like in my life and all I can think about is when I freak-out (all the time) and I can't help but think of God using his "dad-voice" saying these verses to me. I get scared, anxious, and my mind is filled with mind-boggling worry when I freak out. I found that the Hebrew root for "be still" is not "be quiet"; it's "let go." Even though the Israelites have a greater right to freak out than me, I need this. I need this command (not a suggestion) telling me to not be afraid (don't freak out) and to be still (let go).
Lying dead on the shore.
After the waters settled, the Israelites saw that their enemies were all "lying dead on the shore." We all have demons in our lives telling us lies about ourselves and others. I know that is a strange depiction, but my demons include insecurity, unworthiness, self-pity, worry for my future, and countless others. Jesus, our Savior came and already bore all our demons and sins so we might accept him and his sacrifice. Even though I still feel insecure, unwanted, and anxious, I know that the Lord has overcome those demons - he did thousands of years ago, and he's not going to stop fighting for me (or you) now. The end of this story is my favorite - "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant."
I pray that you know that the Lord's mighty hand will and has already prevailed against whatever demon you're facing. Also, that you fear and trust him more like the Israelites. How are we ever going to learn to trust in God more, if he never gives us a reason to be still?
