Exodus 14:14
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
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Be still. Do nothing. Sounds easy, right? There was nothing easy about it. The people who first heard these words were trapped, helpless, facing certain doom. The Lord had provided Israel an escape from their Egyptian slave masters, but now the Egyptian army was chasing them down. Israel was trapped between the chariots of Egypt and the deep water of the Red Sea. The thunder of horse hooves was pounding the dirt. Be still?! Do nothing?!
On some level, we can all relate. Life in this world has a way of beating us down. Trouble sometimes hunts us down like an army of angry Egyptians. Be still?! Do nothing?!
Worse yet is the trouble we bring on ourselves. Much as we’d like to paint ourselves the good guy in life’s story, we know better. Those pangs of guilt we so often feel… Those sharp reminders from clear-sighted people who know us… That testimony from Scripture: all have sinned, all have fallen short of God’s glory. A moment of truth is coming for us all, and there will be nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Be still?! Do nothing?!
Yes. Exactly. Be still. Do nothing. Because the Lord will fight for you.
You know what the LORD did for those Israelites. A dry path toward safety. A wall of water to the right and to the left. A smashing victory against a powerful enemy. And what did Israel do to make any of it happen? Nothing.
You know what the LORD has done for you. Crown-shaped thorns pressed onto a humble head. Nails driven through innocent hands and feet. Then… the stone of a rich man’s tomb rolled away for all to see: Jesus is risen! Your Savior has fought against your sin and your death, and he has won. Your sin is forgiven. God is on your side. No trouble can overtake you now. Even judgment day will be full of joy.
Fellow believer in Jesus, our troubles and our sins are too much for us. But we don’t have to panic, and we don’t have to run. The Lord will fight for us. We need only be still.
Dear Lord,
My sin is so clear to me, but your love is harder to see. Troubles in life are everywhere, but good things so often seem out of reach. Help me to be still. Fight for me, as you promise. When the time is right, let me see and rejoice in your victory. Amen.
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Devotion Copyright 2021 St. Paul Lutheran Church (WELS), Green Bay, Wisconsin
Artwork by Ian M. Welch. Copyright 2012 Ian M. Welch. All Rights Reserved. paramentics.com
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