The Lord Will Fight for You; You Need Only to Be Still

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelite were wandering around the land in confusion. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelite did this.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

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.”

Really the words of Moses "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” touched me. The Israelites are in the middle of a crisis now. They are in between the army of Pharaoh and the Sea. From the words of Israelites we can understand how frustrated they are. They said: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

See! They are willing to serve the Egyptians. They love life than freedom.

But It remind me of the protection of God. It remind me the plan of God. God has a plan for Israelites as well as Egyptians. There are two groups. One group is the chosen one. And the other group is not chosen. Because this group do not worship a living God.

If you are following God, surely God has a plan for you. That plan is to build you. That plan is to protect you from the enemies. Every crisis that comes into your life is the opening point of a new way of life. But the question is how you respond to the crisis.

Are you behaving like the Israelites. Grumbling and saying negative words liek: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

When you face crisis do not open your mouth to pronounce negative words. Because God is carefully listening your negative words.

At last God opened a way for the Israelite. They went through the red sea. They escaped from the bondage for ever. Now they are free and God's judgement fell on the Egyptians. Those who followed Israelite dawned.

It is important to note that when you are in crisis, don't get panic. Stand still. God will do miracles for you.

Let us Look at Numbers 14:26-35  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:  “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.  So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say:  In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.  Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.  As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.  But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.  Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness.  For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’  I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

See How God took these negative Israelites!!  So we need to be very careful about our words.  Otherwise, it will happen to us, like it had happened to Israelites. 

Evey now an then we face crisis in our life.  But how we react in such occasions.  They are not waiting for God to play his part. 

Pharaoh and his army also faced some difficulty  while pursuing Israelites.  Let us look at what happened to them:

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.  During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.  He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”  Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

See!  The second group who was fighting against God also faced some challenges.  These challenges were for their utter destruction.  None of them survived.  We have lesson to learn from this part.  Do not fight against Lord.  When we face challenges, when we face a crisis, do not fight against the Lord.  If you fight against the will of God, it end up at our destruction.

Believers also face challenges.  But their challenges are for their deliverance. 

Let us see now What is the advise of Moses, the man of God. 

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.”

You need only to be still.  What a great advice! 

We are living in a world where there are a lot of worries.  We have so many worries.  What we will eat tomorrow?  What we will wear?  What is there in the future?  How thing will move?  How can I take care of my children?

Our brain is thinking about many things.  It has many worries.  It is working 24hours a day.  7 days a week and 12 months a year.  Without any rest.   There is no peace.  Due to the continuous worrying thought process, we are not able to do our daily work.  We are helpless.  Motionless. Can't do anything.  We call this situation STRESSED.  We have got a name to call it.  "Stressed".

But the man of God says, just wait.  Be still.  The Lord will fight for you. 

No. We don't have time to listen such words.  We don't have the patience to listen such words.  We are working overtime.  To escape from future troubles.

Knowingly or unknowingly we refuse to listen the soothing words.  "You need to be still"  We refused the Lord to fight for us.  Yes, if you are a chosen one, God is there to fight for you.  You need not worry about the sea.  You need not worry about the army of Pharaoh.  Your God is there to take care of it.  Just have faith in the Lord.

But what are we doing?  We are just like the Israelites.  Grumbling negative words.  Is that Lord want to listen from us.

God has a plan for us.  Let us pray with Asaph   (Psalm 80:14-15) Return to us, God Almighty!   Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,  the root your right hand has planted,  the son you have raised up for yourself.

Yes!  God is there to help you.  He has a plan to prosper you.  Not to destroy you. Take it into your heart that "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”