Stand still

And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." – Exodus 3v13-14

If there are any two words in scripture that I have a hard time with they are the words ‘be still.’ Anyone who knows me can tell you that I hate to just sit back and wait. If something needs dealt with I want it dealt with now! Worse, I want to be the one who does something about it.

Moses and Israel find themselves in an impossible situation. Before them was the expanse of the Red Sea. Charging up from behind was the powerful Egyptian army. Many bible scholars think there were closed in on both sides by mountains. There was no way out and their destruction seemed certain.

Of course they blamed Moses for their dilemma. ‘Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt for us? Why did you bring us out here to die.’ They wanted something done and they wanted it done quickly.

But God wanted them to rely on Him. His instructions were clear. ‘Don’t be afraid. Stand still. See God’s deliverance. God will fight for you. You will just be quiet and let Him work.’

God allowed them to be a situation where they would have to watch Him work. He wanted them to realise that they could trust Him. More battles were to come and they needed to know that He would be there for them.

God will never allow us to be in a place where there is not a way to escape. He will always deliver us and He will always use those situations to make us more reliant on Him for future deliverance.

Moses had done all he could do. Now it was time to wait of God. Whatever Red Sea we face we can trust Him to do the same for us.