Stand Still

Stand Still

Pastor Russell Henderson

Are you facing difficulty in your life?  Do you find yourself up against an obstacle, and you don’t know how to get past it?  Exodus 14:13-14 gives us some wonderful encouragement when faced with a tough situation.

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." – Exodus 14:13-14 NIV

There are several points that I want to talk about.

1.    Do not be afraid. 

Moses had just been given permission by Pharoah to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but Pharoah quickly changed his mind and began to pursue them.  As the Israelites reach the Dead Sea, they looked back and saw the Egyptian army chasing them.  The first thing God told Moses was “Do not be afraid”.  Genesis 15:1 tells us that God is our shield.  He is our protector and defender.  And He is our reward.  We are rewarded for our obedience in the tough times.  

2.    Stand firm and you will see the deliverance that I will bring you today.

In the midst of seemingly impossible odds, God said “Stand firm”.  In other words “Don’t move.” 

Why in the world would He instruct his people to stand still?  Because there are a few things that God knows but keeps from us.  He only asks for us to trust Him.  In 2 Chronicles 20 King Jehoshaphat was facing an enemy attack, and the Lord said, “I am with you.  I am holding you, and you will not have to fight this battle.  In the end, the battle was not won with swords but with songs.

3.    The enemy you see today, you will never see again.

What is the enemy you are up against?  Is it attacks from co-workers?  Is it financial problems?  Is it sickness and disease?  The Lord wants you to know that if you do not fear and stand firm on His promise, you will NEVER see this enemy again.  In Moses’ day the Egyptian army drowned in the sea, and Israel never had to deal with them again.

4.    I will fight for You.

Once again, the Lord promised that He would do the fighting if His people would just trust Him and obey everything that He commands.  Today it is the same.  All God asks is for us to trust Him to keep His promises, and obey whatever he asks us to do.  We must learn to obey not only his written word, but also His spoken word.  God promised Moses in verse 25 that everyone will know that it was God who did the fighting.  In 2 Chronicles 20 everyone began to fear God when they saw the miraculous Israelite victory.

5.    Just be still.

Finally, God told most “just be still”.  It is so hard to be still when everything is falling apart.  We try to find ways on our own to fix the problem.  But many times, God just wants us to be still and trust Him.

Isaiah 30:15 says: 

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…

There are four things that usher in deliverance.

1.     Repentance.   God can only work in a heart that is repentant.

2.     Rest:  This is the same as being still.  When we are at rest, we are not worried or anxious.  We are content in knowing that God is working.

3.     Quietness.  It is important to learn how to be quiet in the trial.  When we are quiet, we can better hear God.  But we also like to talk and tell everyone about our misery.  God is saying, “Be quiet.  Don’t let people know you are suffering.  Just trust God.”

4.     Trust.  This is the summation of the whole thing.  You have to have a deep faith in God, and know that He has your best interest in mind.  Though his timing is not always our timing, it is always perfect.