Be Still

Exodus 14:14

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still

Growing up in the country we had a saying for people who panicked in the face of adversity and began to move around spastically. We would say that person was running around like “a chicken with their head cut off.” Back in the day my grandmother would prepare her own chicken for dinner fresh from the back yard. She would select a hen from the backyard that was walking around, grab it by its head and give it a twist until its head came off. The chicken would run around a few minutes headless because the body was running off of muscle memory but without the use of the brain.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a mindless panic or “mindless behavior” because life seems overwhelming. We are stuck in fight or flight mode because we have not learned inner peace. We are not sure that God can save us because where we are we have not been before.

The Israelites were fresh out of slavery and the Egyptians were trying to take their heads off. It looked like they were in a dead end with the red Sea in front of them and mountains on either side but God purposely brought them there so that he could show them who he was and what he was capable of. God made a highway through the sea allowing them to walk across on dry ground but drowned the Egyptian army.

Moses gave the people instructions prior to their deliverance:

1. Don’t be afraid. Sometimes fear will have us in fight or flight when it’s not even necessary. When God is with us we have no need to be afraid.

2. Stand Firm and you will see your deliverance today. We can’t waiver in the face of danger but instead we should stand firm in our faith and convictions.

3. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. There are some enemies that have been troubling us that if we give them over to God we will never see again. Let God handle them.

4. The Lord will fight your battle. There are some fights that are too big for us but nothing is too big for God. Instead of telling God how big your problem is tell your problem how big your God is.

5. You need only to be still. Your only need today is to be still. God’s got this and he will see you through.

Dear God,

I choose to be still today instead of being frantic. I will be anxious for nothing. I take comfort in knowing that you will fight my battles if I just keep still! I trust you Lord.

In Jesus Name,
Amen