WHERE TRUST BUILDS
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV)
Reread that last sentence of this passage. This might be a good verse to engrave on our mantles, print on T-shirts, and commit to memory. In the world we live in, it’s difficult to stay silent. It’s as if we’re forced to have an opinion, an answer, a way out of our troubles, our fears, or pain. But what if we practiced what Moses was asking the Israelites to do?
Moses relayed this message to the Israelites prior to crossing the Red Sea. In Exodus 14:10-12, the people see the Egyptians marching after them. They were so afraid that they questioned Moses’ reason for bringing them out of Egypt, saying it would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.
I attended a Christian conference a few years ago where the speaker used a vivid, impactful story to explain Psalm 46:10. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (ESV)
Applied to the above passage in Exodus, the story might go something like this:
As the Egyptian army drew closer, a young Israelite girl grew frantic. In her fear, she stumbled across a small, worn-out knife and clutched it tightly. With trembling hands, she began sharpening it, hour after hour, imagining the terrible battle that must be coming. She longed for protection—something, anything, to make her feel less helpless against the danger pressing in. Had she been in her right mind, she would have realized that this little knife could never save her if the Egyptians were to catch up and overtake them.
There’s a common promise in Exodus 14:14 and Psalm 46:10 that The Lord will fight for us. We just need to pause—take a breath, quiet ourselves and be still. This is where trust builds—in the moments we see our enemy coming and we’re not strong enough or prepared to fight. Our real strength comes when we stop striving and trust our warrior God to fight our battles.
APPLICATION: Do you see an approaching battle of your own? Take one step of trust: hand your fear to God in prayer. And if you know someone else in a struggle, share His promises with them.
PRAYER: God, I need You, and I know You are bigger than any of my problems. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?