Lately I’ve been hearing the Lord tell me to stand still, and trust that He is working in my situation. I know that I am supposed to pray, and wait on Him. But if I can be honest, a part of me still feels like I have to help God bring His vision to pass. I feel like maybe I’m not doing enough. Maybe if I were to work harder, the situation would change faster, but I keep hearing God’s voice say, “stand still and watch.” And each time I hear His voice, I think of Moses speaking to the Israelites, as they were trapped between their enemy and the Red Sea.
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. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)
Just. Stay. Calm. That was the word of the Lord spoken through Moses. But how could God expect this from them? They were literally being chased by their enemy…the people that had oppressed them for generations. They were trapped, with no where to go. They could see no way out. They had no plan. How could they just stay calm? Well, according to Moses, they needed to understand who’s fight it was. They needed to remember that it was God’s fight, so He would fight for them.
You see, the Israelites had forgotten that this was God’s plan. He sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt. By His mighty hand, Pharaoh let them go. And He was the one leading them the whole time. He was the one that decided which route they would take. According to scripture, they were led by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. So, they needed to remember that they were in that exact place, at that exact time, because God wanted them to be.
So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. (Exodus 13:18 NLT)
The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:21-22 NLT)
And so, I feel the Lord telling me that this is how I can stay calm, while He fights for me. By remembering that He is my Shepherd…by remembering that He is the one that brought me to this place. I have come to realize that any time that I am in a place where I feel the need to use my strength for God’s plan, it is because of my fears. It is because I am afraid that I don’t have what it takes to get to where God has called me to go.
Fear causes us to forget that God is with us.
We see this playing out in the story of the Israelites as the Egyptians closed in on them. They literally had tangible proof that God was with them. They could see His presence, and they had seen Him perform miracle after miracle in order to rescue them. But still, they became afraid.
As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? (Exodus 14:10-11 NLT)
Moses’s encouragement to them—as he told them not to be afraid…as he told them to stand still and watch…as he told them that God himself would fight for them, and to just stay calm—was in response to this fear. And this wasn’t the only time that God encouraged his children in this way. Time after time in the bible. God spoke to His people. He told them to be strong and courageous. He told them not to fear or be discouraged, because He would be with them.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)
This is only a few of the times that God spoke these words to His people. So, it is evident that this idea—that we mustn’t be afraid—is important for us to understand and apply to our lives. And I have come to a couple of conclusions:
1. God wants us to understand that we will have opportunities to fear.
Why would God tell His children not to be afraid, if they would never be put in a position where they would have an opportunity to fear. God is telling us that we will be in positions that seem scary, and we will face threats along the path that He is taking us on. Remember, He led the Israelites to that dead end. So, we must understand that we might face situations where we feel like we are at the end of our rope. We might feel stuck, and we might be in a position that seems hopeless—and it might be because of the route that God has chosen for us. But we must remember that God chose to lead the Israelites to that dead end so that He could be glorified. The route—the hardships that we face—might not have anything to do with us. Sometimes God will bring us to impossible situations so that He can receive the glory in our lives.
And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. (Exodus 14:4 NLT)
2. God wants us to know that we can choose to be strong and courageous in the face of danger.
If we take a second look at the scripture in Joshua 1:9, we see that this time, it is a command from God.
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)
The fact that this is a command tells me that God was not talking to Joshua concerning his feelings. God was not telling him that he would not feel fear, because fear in a situation of danger is just a natural reaction. I believe that God was telling Joshua that he must choose faith regardless of his feelings of fear. God was saying, I know this looks like a scary, impossible situation, but regardless, you have to choose to be strong and courageous.
I have to stress the fact that God understands the feelings that we have when we are between a rock and a hard place. If He didn’t understand this, He would not have encouraged us over and over again in this area. But I also want to say that He has given us the ability to still be strong and courageous—to stay calm, and be still—despite what we feel. So, how do we do this?
We can stay calm because the battle is not ours; it is the Lord’s.
In the book of 2 Chronicles, we read about a story concerning a time that the Israelites were threatened by the surrounding nations. In this time, Jehoshaphat was the King of Judah. When Jehoshaphat found out that their enemy was marching against them, he ordered the entire Kingdom of Judah to seek God for help.
Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help. (2 Chronicles 20:3-4)
As the Israelites stood before God in prayer, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man, and he prophesied this encouragement to them:
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NLT)
Do you see it? This word from God was the same word that Moses spoke to the Israelites generations earlier. And this is the same word that He is speaking to us right now. Because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He says to stand still and watch. He says to not be afraid or discouraged, because He is with us.
Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” (2 Chronicles 20:20 NLT)
As the Israelites headed toward battle, Jehoshaphat ordered singers to walk ahead of the army, singing praises to God.
At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. (2 Chronicles 20:22 NLT)
So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. (2 Chronicles) 20:24 NLT
The Israelites received the victory because they remembered that the battle was not theirs, but the Lord’s. How do we know this? Because when they found out that they were under attack, the first thing they did was turn to God. Let’s read Jehoshaphat’s prayer to the Lord as he sought help.
“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2 Chronicles 20:10-12 NLT)
I believe that this was the prayer that got God’s attention. Jehoshaphat did not just run to God pleading for help; he came boldly before the throne of God. He reminded God that this was His fight. He told God that this was His land, that their enemies were after. He reminded God that this was the land that He promised to their ancestors. And He reminded God that it was His responsibility to help them.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT)
You see, there is something powerful that happens when we remind God of what He said. When we remind God that He brought us to this place, and that we are fighting for the promise that He gave to us. We must understand that our God always makes good on His promises, and He will move heaven and earth, and work supernaturally in our situation to come through for us.
Now, I want you to take a few moments and reflect on the areas of your life where you have been fighting for yourself, instead of allowing your Father to fight for you. Maybe the area is relationships, maybe your finances, career, or your health. I want to encourage you through the words of your heavenly Father. Stand still and watch. Do not be afraid or discouraged, because the battle is not yours, it is His. Every promise that He has given you, is His responsibility—His burden—not yours.
Your part is to stand still.
Standing still doesn’t mean do nothing. Standing still means to fight through your prayers, so that He can fight for you and direct your steps. When we pray, heaven acts on our behalf. And when we pray, God sends us the answers that we are looking for. When it came to the Israelites under Jehoshaphat, God spoke a word telling them what to do. And when it came to the Israelites under Moses, God spoke a word telling them what to do. This is how we receive the power to do the impossible things that God has set before us…by seeking His face, and obeying His instructions.
Your part is to watch.
This is something that God has spoken to me about over and over again in the past few years. While I was so focused on the next thing, and on what I could do to fix my situation, I was missing all of the little miracles that God was working right before my eyes.
Let’s just use the Israelites for example. They were afraid because they were trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. They couldn’t figure out a way out of their situation, and they realized that they were no match for their enemy. But what they didn’t know was that God already had a plan to rescue them. When Moses told them to stand still and watch. He was telling them to trust that God would fight for them, and to watch the glory that He would display before them. He was telling them to watch as the angel of the Lord turned into fire and prevented the enemy from advancing towards them throughout the night. Moses was telling them to watch as the Lord parted the Red Sea before their eyes, and allowed every one of them to cross on dry ground. He wanted them to pay attention to the fact that as they walked, the waters stood straight up in the air, until God permitted them to flow again. He wanted them to see the evidence that the Lord fought for them, as they watched their enemies destroyed.
That is how the Lord rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:30-31 NLT)
This is why God wants us to stand still and watch. He wants us to experience what the Israelites experienced. He wants us to see how He works in our situation. He wants us to pay close attention to all the details…so that we are filled with awe…so that our faith in Him will grow.
Sometimes we are so busy searching for God, that we miss the fact that He is right here…in this moment. Just take that in. You don’t need to worry about the problem that He has already taken care of. Instead, rest in the fact that He is right there…with you. Focus on every single detail of His goodness. How has He been good to you before? How is He keeping you now? All of that is evidence of His faithfulness. He wants you to be watchful, so that you can reassure yourself that He will be faithful, because He’s always been faithful. He will never leave your side. He will never let you down. So don’t fear; don’t be discouraged. Stand still and watch as He moves in your life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for encouraging me today. Thank you for reminding me that the battle is not mine; it is yours. Through your word, I know that I can depend on you. I know that as I seek your face, and declare your promises, you will act on my behalf, and you will direct my steps. Forgive me for the times that I have tried to work things out in my own strength. Today I declare that I will stand still and seek your face. I will keep my eyes fixed on you, so that I can see the miraculous works that you are doing in my life. Thank you for reminding me that you are always with me, even in this moment. I know that because you are by my side, I will walk in victory. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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