Year 4-Day 3: He fights for me!

Year 4-Day 3: Today, I am grateful that He fights for me...if I can learn to be still.  

I really have trouble letting go of control. I am first born, people pleasing and over achieving at times... and these attributes create barriers to my learning to trust. God gave me a youngest child to be the love of my life and create some balance...and add laughter to my world.  I am, at times, my own worst enemy. 

This scripture is my constant companion and prayer:

Be still and know I AM God. - Psalm 41:10 

This  passage has long been a "life verse" of mine. It is in large letters on the wall above my kitchen sink.  I hesitate to re-paint, as I would lose that daily, constant reminder to "be still" and trust. It reminds me to breathe. 

I just stumbled onto this verse...and they work so well together. It is from Moses during the Exodus.  The Israelite people fled Egypt and Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he sent his army after them.  The people were freaked out. Not only had they witnessed the plagues on Egypt and the Pharaoh... they were caught between the fear of returning to slavery and the fear of the unknown under Moses' leadership 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.”The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:13-14

Verse 14 has been translated as "be still" and in other translations it is "be silent". Both are tough when you are upset and terrified.   The Hebrew word is "Charash" and it means "to be silent" or "to keep quiet".  He might have said...if speaking English..."shut up and calm down"...except we wouldn't expect him to tell them to "shut up", because it isn't polite.  Still, I wonder if he was exasperated with them.  Leading an exodus is exhausting! 

The passage continues with God drowning the Paraoh's army after the children of Israel passed through on the parted waters of the Red Sea.  Imagine the hearts racing, the parents carrying children and the young helping the old.  They were headed on a journey with no real understanding of what would come next.  All they could focus on was the battle in front of them.  

Then...God took control and it was finished. Moses trusted God...he raised his staff and the waters of the Red Sea split. His people were protected...and his enemies were destroyed. The men who had beat them, abused them and used them as slave labor were now a part of their story...but only in their history. New life was on the other side of that Red Sea. They only had to trust and obey. God fought their battle for them.

I love Moses!  He challenges and humbles me...and some of his big mistakes are serious reminders that God is love, but the justice side of his character cannot be ignored. 

As Dad always said, "The wheels of God's justice grind slowly but excessively fine."  I need to let Him fight the battle. I need to be still...be calm...and silent. I can't hear if I'm are talking. I need to let him lead. 

Today, I am grateful that He fights for me...if I can learn to be still...calm and quiet.