“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today…The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)
As I looked at my teacup this morning, I saw the words, “Yes GOD can”. This caused me to reflect on some things that have concerned me lately – my health issues, my frustrations in life, people who tend to drive me crazy, and the concern I have about my future.
My eyes moved again to the teacup….. “Yes GOD can”. Do I really believe that?
What about you?
Maybe you have something bothering you today, maybe a fear. I heard someone once say that fear has two sisters: worry and anxiety. If we deal with this fear, it will not turn into worry and anxiety.
First Step
So, what can we do when fear erupts up inside of us? First, acknowledge and admit that you are afraid. (This fear will get stuck inside of you if you don’t deal with this when you first feel it.) The Israelites saw the Egyptians chasing after them and they panicked with fear (Exo. 14:10). Moses responded gently, “Don’t be afraid”. And then he offered them how to let go of their fear.
Second Step
Instead of us trying to fix it ourselves, we can respond in this way: “I will just stand still and watch the LORD rescue me today”. These are the words Moses spoke to those petrified Israelites (Exo. 14:13). In other words, put your trust in God. We must decide to allow God to do the work for us.
Third Step
But it may seem hard to STAND STILL! Moses again says these wise words, “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
I decided to look up other versions, to see how they express the word ‘Calm’.
- You must be quiet (that sounds like meditation) [CSB]
- Keep your mouth shut (i.e. don’t waste your time thinking about this over & over or saying it to others) [MSG]
- Hold your peace (Jesus said this many times to His disciples) [MEV]
- You must wait quietly (people hate to wait today; but “good things come to those who wait”) [EHV]
- You will not have to do anything but stay calm (staying calm will help us be healthier & happier) [ERV]
- Yahweh is fighting for you, so be still! (when you have God doing this for you, you can Rest in His Love) [NOG]
Let’s Follow Moses’ Plan
- Admit you are feeling afraid.
- Allow God to fix it instead of you.
- And Stand still and stay calm.
Here’s some ways to do it
- Do some breath work that is calming
- Take a walk
- Journal your feelings
- Pray about this fear.
Over time, this will become a helpful habit!
Such good advice! We all have our own Egyptians – but the same promise from God!
You need to deal with Exodus 12:15-16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry ground.” Moses and the people needed to seek the Lord and His guidance, His plan. Then they had to do their part by being obedient so that the Lord could deal with the Egyptian army.