You Need Only Be Still | Exodus 14:14

Recently, I was thinking about what my favorite bible verse was and I remembered this gem, Exodus 14:14. I got to thinking about just what it was saying, and while I always knew it was powerful, the more I looked into it, the more and more powerful it became. This verse is a reminder to trust God and his timing, it is encouragement during hard times, and it is a challenge to give over our plans.

13“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still.” Exodus 14:13-14

Moses starts off with “Do not be afraid”. I don’t know how much you know about the book of Exodus, but chapter 14 is titled Crossing the Sea. What happened is Pharaoh's son died due to the plagues, so he told Moses to get his people and go. But then he changed his mind. So, the Israelites are running with Pharaoh's armies behind them and they reach the sea. They have no idea what to do. It’s not until verse 16 that God instructs Moses what he should do. Those 3 verses in between might have take 3 seconds or 3 hours, but nonetheless they were all standing there for some period of time having no idea what comes next. And yet, Moses begins by saying “Do not be afraid”. God is here and he will bring us through this.

His first command is “Don’t be afraid.”, which is crazy given the circumstance. Then, his next command is absolutely insane. He tells them to be still. Can you imagine being chased by armies and someone telling you not only to not be afraid, but to be still. To be still is to have faith, to trust that someone else is taking care of it. When you are still, you give God control. When you are still, there are lies that penetrate your mind and can make you doubt the Lord.

1. Despair says that you cannot stand. It is telling you there is no hope and God will not be coming through
2. Fear tells you to retreat. It is saying it is too dangerous and you will be hurt.
3. Impatience tells you to act now. Don’t wait on God, do it yourself. You are here now and can take action.
4. Presumption tells you “God is coming, so jump into the sea before it has parted and he will save you.” It’s like in Matthew 4 when Satan is tempting Jesus and he says to jump off the building for the angels will save him. But you know what Jesus says to that? “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

This is where faith comes in. Despite all these lies you are being told, despite the despair, impatience, fear, and  presumption gnawing away at you,  you must wait on the Lord. One problem I find myself facing, is that I relate stillness to idleness. I think that in my waiting, I’m not doing anything. But if i have learned anything, it is that God makes the most of the wait. He works in you when you are waiting in ways he cannot anywhere else. When you are waiting, you are fully reliant on him to bring you through, which puts you in a vulnerable situation. Someone once said to me, “Periods of waiting are a time to discover who you are. They allow you to grow spiritually. To seek God feely. They help you to learn to think for yourself and become a mature person before making major commitments.”

“You will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.” This is Moses trusting God to come through. He doesn’t know how it will turn out, but he knows that it will. Moses has faith that the Lord will act. He doesn’t know how or when, but he knows it will happen and due to this, he can tell the people not to fear and to be still, for the Lord is with them.

That brings us to verse 14. Moses is putting his confidence in God. He is saying that not only is the Lord here, but he is on our side. Imagine the lord fighting for you. He fought for David. He fought for Noah. He fought for Abraham. He fought for Paul and Moses and Esther. They would not have done any of the great things they did without the Lord. But why did the Lord fight for them? Because they trusted him! They took a step back. They stood still. They waited on the Lord.

So, why this verse? Why, out of the 1200 something pages in my bible did I pick these 12 words to be my favorite verse? This verse was told to me by my bible study teacher when I was in 8th grade. I was constantly worried and had a lot on my plate. And she said to me “The Lord fights for you, Katie. You only need to be still.” It is giving over your fears and your expectations and letting God have control. That was hard for me and it still is, I want to do it all by myself. But I cannot. I cannot go through life alone. Since I heard this and began applying it to my life, I have found so much peace knowing the Lord will take care of me.