"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:14, ESV)
Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 at 10:21 AM by David Zavadil
I logged onto my blog this morning to make some tweaks to the page. As the page loaded I was struck by the verse on the right. I have an applet that generates a random passage from the ESV every day. Today's passage caused me to stop and think. Read it again. "The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:14, ESV).
The people of Israel were leaving Egypt. It has become clear that Pharaoh was not going to let them go as easily as first thought. In a near panic, they reach the edge of the Red Sea only to find the Egyptian Army quickly closing in upon them. Verse 10 tell us that the people cried out to God but does not record the prayer. Instead, verses 11,12 presents us with the people's complaint to Moses about his leadership. To paraphrase they whine, "We would have been better off making bricks than being here!"
How often do we reach a place in our lives where we too are crying out, "Things were bad where I was, but not half as bad as they are here. I wish I were back in Egypt." We cry out to God but only in the form of whining or complaining. Though Paul tells us to "be anxious for nothing...," anxiety overwhelms and wins out. We look at our "Red Sea" and see no way out. Panic sets in.
Beloved, God is not about panic. He has not abandoned His people. He is the Mighty Warrior and is ready to work powerfully in our lives. "The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:14, ESV) Moses is not telling the people to stop praying. He is telling them to stop whining and complaining and trust God. We are to be silent before the Lord. The Psalmist tells us to wait, see Psalm 27:14;31:24; 37:7,9,34; Psalm 130:5. The battle we fight is a spiritual battle, who better to fight on our behalf than the one who created the spiritual. Instead of complaining and trying to take things into our own hands, we are to wait on God and let Him do the work. I need to learn the lesson of Israel and be quiet and let God do His work. In my prayer closet I need to pray that God's mighty power will go forth for His glory. May God's kingdom be expanded today.
Edited on: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 10:26 AMPosted in Bible Study (RSS)
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