I don’t know how many times I have uttered these words.  I say them to my son almost everyday.  I say them while I am helping him get dressed in the morning.  I say them while we are bundling up to go outside.  Stand still…

Why are words that are so familiar to me, so hard to implement in my own life.  Understanding how frustrating it is as a parent to be attempting to put on a little boy’s shirt while he is moving in all directions should give a person clarity of how important of a concept standing still is.  And yet, I have as much trouble with these two words as my five year old.

I was reminded again this morning of these two words as I was reading in Exodus 14.  God tells Moses to lead the Israelites into a place where they will be vulnerable to Egyptian attack.  Not only will they be vulnerable, but God says he will harden their hearts SO they will attack.  Huh?  I had to read that again, but then God says, “I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” The Israelites looked around them and realized they were doomed.  They began to panic and worry.

Life brings storms into our lives.  Our reaction is usually to panic and fly into a frenzy, trying to do damage control.  What Moses says to the Israelites next is so timely for them, but as I read it, seems to be spoken from God directly to me.

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today…The Lord Himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm. (vs. 13,14)

When the storm hits, when the opposing army is bearing down on us, just stand still.  We have to fight everything in us to fall into a frenzy and let God rescue us.  God is blowing me away and breaking me down right now.  He is crushing my spirit of me so He can replace it with a deeper sense of Him in my life.

What is He doing in you right now?  Where in your life do you need to just stop, take a deep breath and stand still?