Be Still.

"You split the sea so I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me and I will stand and sing
I am a child of God..."

These lyrics from Bethel Music are often tumbling around in my head. This is one of those songs that just gets me deep down in my soul every time I hear it. The song is called "No Longer Slaves" and it proclaims over and over that "I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God." Amazing, amazing song. I encourage you to look up the lyric video and soak it in for a few minutes.

I'd like to think if a sea was divided before me - a chance to walk right away from the enemy pursuing me - I would know it was God who split it.

I'm sure the Israelites, under the leadership of Moses and the divine presence of God, knew Who split the sea before them, allowing them to press forward to freedom on dry ground.

If we backtrack though, we see how often the Israelites struggle along this journey. Just a few verses before this miracle occurs, the Israelites are claiming that Moses brought them out here to let them die, caught between the sea and the Egyptians. They wondered why Moses didn't just let them stay in Egypt and die!

Oh, how often I think like the Israelites.

"Oh, this is great, God, I just got out of this one hard situation only to be brought to the next one!"

What about you? How often are you in that rock and hard place situation, where the valleys keep coming and the mountaintop moments feel like mere blips on the radar of your life? How easy is it to miss the fact that God's presence is right beside us?

While the Israelites were getting themselves all worked up, Moses was trying to calm them down with what has become one of my most favorite verses in the entire Word of God.

"Don't be afraid...stand firm and you will see the deliverance of the Lord today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)

Be still.

The poor upset Israelites really had no choice but to literally stand still. "Good one Moses! Stand still! Where exactly do you think we're going to go?!" With an expanse of water before them and Pharaoh's army approaching behind them, what exactly did Moses think was going to happen here?

I have to think Moses wasn't trying to still their physical bodies, but rather their minds. Their hearts, their fears. In the very next verse, God tells Moses to get a move on.

I think it is important to be physically still in front of God. To wait for Him, to listen, to be calm and rest in His presence. I don't think He doesn't want our bodies to freeze in place forever though, but instead to still our hearts and minds before him.

Why?

Because when I'm still, when my fears and my brain have stopped their inner battle with my heart, when my knowledge of God stops conflicting with and overrides my anxiety, that place is the place where I can let the Lord start fighting for me.

There's a beautiful release of control that happens when I allow myself to be still for a moment. I step out of the way, God steps in, and that's when the miracles happen.

Imagine His presence beside you, waiting for you to move out of the way. When you hand over control to Him, that's when God parts the sea.

That's when the turmoil ceases and when the dry ground appears.

Be still.

Quit fighting.

Quit trying to lead the battle that doesn't even belong to you in the first place. He will fight for you, if you only let Him. He is right there with you, ready to go to battle.

I've found this is an incredibly powerful verse to pray when things are feeling hopeless.

"I'm still, God. Fight for me. I believe You can, and I know You will!"

What do you battle in your mind that keeps you from being still? Is it a particular sin? Some emotional distress? I hope that you will join me in praying this verse over yourself. Shed the things that hold you down and allow yourself to rest in the strength and provision of God.

www.bible.com (YouVersion)

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:14 KJV

https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.14.14.KJVThe Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:14 KJV

https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.14.14.KJV