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.  Exodus 14:13-17

We recently concluded our series on Paul’s prison epistles, and we begin this week with what could only be considered a completely random study through the Old Testament.  It should be both exciting and challenging to look through some of these verses and see how they apply to our Christian walk in our current culture. We start with a passage from the book of Exodus.

As we look at the text contained in the passage there are two key phrases that really jump off the page.  They are Moses’ instructions to “stand firm” and to “be still”.  These two phrases are used often in Scripture, and by a myriad of different authors, but the combination of the two in this particular situation seems extremely relevant for the current age.

Standing firm is preached from pulpits nationwide every Sunday morning throughout various denominations. It is an important aspect of Christianity that is talked about, but rarely fully explained.  To someone like me, “stand firm” would infer a defensive, almost stubborn posture to prevent anything from passing by.  The biblical definition is quite different. It means to be confident and unwavering in your belief based on God’s intended purpose for that particular scenario. It is very easy for us to confuse the two meanings.

The other is to “be still.”  This is the most difficult for most of us. It is a command to let God do His work without our help or interference. It is a reminder to allow Him to accomplish what you have been praying for, outside of your view or supervision. It is the idea that it is time to stop talking and to listen to His instruction.  Just as He instructed Israel, He is instructing us, He is always fighting for us.

Have a great week!

~Danny