Be still and know that I am GodThe exhilaration of escape turns to terror. After everything that had happened: the plagues, the Passover, the presents of jewellery, gold, silver and clothing given by Egyptians desperate for them to go. Standing on the shore and gazing across the Red Sea, they looked at the only thing that stood between them and freedom. They looked back to see Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. He had come to reclaim his slave work force.
Fear filled prayers pleaded with the Lord. Then the blame: “Moses, weren’t there enough plots in the cemeteries of Egypt for us! Is that why you’ve brought us into this God forsaken wilderness to die?! Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone to be Pharaoh’s slaves?”
The calming voice of Moses reassures the Israelites. Instead of running scared they were to stand their ground. Not because they were powerful enough to fight the Egyptians. No. Their confidence was in the Lord who would deliver them from the Egyptian military machine. “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
“Keep still? How can I keep still? Isn’t it laziness to sit around waiting for God to do something? I’m more for the idea that God helps those who help themselves.”
Moses was saying something quite different. Keeping still isn’t about doing nothing. It is the toughest thing we will ever do. Being still is choosing not to act. Being still is putting trust in God and waiting for him to direct our actions. From the stillness, Moses is commanded by God to “…lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it….” Stillness is the place of trust in God that he will direct us. However chaotic or terrifying our lives may be, God meets us in the stillness and acts for us through us.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
Prayer: Lord, you call me to stop making war, fighting my own battles, searching for solutions. I’m not sure if I trust you enough to be still whilst staring down the enemy that frightens me to death. Give me the grace to depend on you…to wait for you to speak…to listen for your command to spur my actions. Amen. |
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