Be still

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

-  Exodus 14:14

I recently been reading Exodus and am currently reading about the Israelites.  They were just released by Pharaoh and are now in the wilderness camping by the Red Sea.  Pharaoh had decided that he wants the Israelites back and is now chasing them down. 

Immediately the Israelites start to panic and tell Moses they should have just stayed in slavery because they are not going to die and Moses response to them is, “The Lord with fight for you; you need only be still.”

There are two things that strike me here.  One is that the Israelites seem to have a sudden memory lapse about who God is.  They have witnessed all of the plagues that Egypt went though and have even seen God as a pillar of fire and smoke guiding them.  But when all or a sudden Pharaoh pursues them, they forget.

This is so true for us.  We forget what God has done in the past and look only at our current seemingly hopeless situation.  At this point God sometimes wants us to remember he will fight for us and we need only be still.

You see I relate to forgetting what God has done.  I forget and I rarely think to be still and let God fight for me.  I get to busy worrying about getting things done and making things happen.  When situations seem hopeless I may go to God but do I sit back when he wants me to and let him do his thing?  I wish I could say this was the case but its not.  This is a great passage to think about. 

Thought for the Day:  Sometimes we need to remember, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.” 

Daily Bible Reading

As I was reading the Bible this morning and remembering the stories I have heard many times in the past, I was reminded of something shared in church this weekend.  The pastor was saying that some people get to a point where they think the have read the Bible enough and know the stories to a point that they dont need to continue reading, going to church or going to small groups. 

So as I was reading the familiar story of Moses this thought came to mind.  As I continued to read I saw parts of the story in new light.  This should not be surprising as this is the case almost every time I read the Bible.  The story in and of itself was a reminder of why we need to be reading the Bible daily even if we have read the stories thousands of times. 

The plain and simple reason is we to easily forget what we know about God.  One bad day, difficult experience or when there is overwhelming blessing we loose sight of the reality of God.  We forget who he is, what he has done and what he has in store for us in the future. 

Look at the Israelites, over and over they forgot what God had done for them and they had been witness to some of the most amazing miracles.  How could they forget?  They changed their focus to their circumstances and lost sight of God and all he had done.  This is what we do as humans in our sinful nature, look to ourselves and forget God. 

This is why we must continually be in the Word and seeking God.  To remind ourselves of who he is and how we need him. 

Thought for the Day:  Remember the Bible is God's way to speak to us and reading it daily allows a closer connection to God.

"The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."  But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."  Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.  You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.  He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.  But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it." 

- Exodus 4:11-17

Reading through the story of Moses right now and I found this passage interesting.  I have read the story many time before but for some reason it hit me differently this time.  God asks Moses to do something and Moses asks God to send someone else.  Even though God gets angry with Moses, he gives him Aaron to help him.


God must get so frustrated with us.  Here it even says God was angry with Moses but he still helped him.  I Just think how true this can be for us.  God asks us to do something and we feel inadequate asking God to choose someone else but God knows were are the person for the job so he gives us someone to assist us.  

It never ceases to amaze me how God cares for us even when he is frustrated with us.  He has these amazing plans for us and we get scared but He still provides what we need.  He gives us support in those around us.

Thought for the Day:  What is God asking you to do that scares you?  Who is the support that God has put around you to help you?