Run or Rest

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Pharaoh and his army are in hot pursuit of the children of Israel. Despite all the suffering caused by the plagues that God had to send on Egypt to persuade the King of Egypt that it was in his best interests to let Israel go, he’s had a change of heart—or head. Who is going to build all his monuments to himself if his slave labour is allowed to escape?

The children of Israel have been led to a spot on the map which seems illogical for a people looking for the best way, and the fastest, to “get out of Dodge.” They are now surrounded, facing the sea, and about to be closed in by Pharaoh’s army.

God had informed Moses that He had a plan to use the situation to bring glory to Himself (Exodus 14:4). However, the thunder of the horses’ hooves, the rumble of chariot wheels, and the sight of a vast parade of armed and angry soldiers, drove any reasonable thought out of the heads and hearts of Israel. “They were terrified” (14:10).

Sounds right. Reasonable thought says that the God of the ten plagues should be able to handle this minor glitch. But lest we criticize we need to take a close look at our own experience with God. It isn’t always true that, based on past experiences of God’s faithfulness, we approach new challenges with faith and without fear.

Moses delivers the word: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (14:13, 14). I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time standing still when the basic, primal instincts of my soul tell me to RUN!

Do something!

Fix it!

Wait a second!

Being still doesn’t mean doing nothing. In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist writes: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The stillness is a heart attitude, not necessarily a “frozen-to-the-floor” response. As soon as Moses tells the people that they need to be still, he tells them to move, to get ready to cross the sea that lies before them (14:15, 16). They needed to act, but while their feet were walking, their hearts were steadfast, unmoveable, rock-solid, still, knowing that their trust in the Almighty was not going to be misplaced (1 Corinthians 15:58).

To my shame, I panic all too often even when faced with the smallest challenges. I can’t imagine what I would have done if pursued by an army of annoyed Egyptians!

Stillness sounds easy, but faced with the unexpected, with overwhelming odds against, with our backs against the seas of life, we often practice terror instead of trust.

The sense of Psalm 46 is similar to the events of Exodus 14—fear threatens. The world is falling apart and we are in danger. Yet God says to not be afraid, and to be still. Why? Because “God is our refuge and strength, and every present help in trouble…The Lord Almighty is with us…Be still, and know…” that he will be the victor. (Psalm 46:1, 7, 10). And therefore, so will we!