It was just like any other evening of Bible study. The kids were asleep and the house was quiet except for the humming of the refrigerator. I needed to Be still before the Lord and hear His voice.
Opening my Bible, I began hoping God would somehow illuminate something that would minister to my broken heart. Ministry was becoming harder and harder each day. Rumors and lies abut my family were causing a lot of fear and anxiety. I was trying to chase after the lies and give truth, but, it was to no avail. I felt trapped in a cloud of darkness and I couldn’t go on like this anymore. Why was the church coming against us? Is pastoring suppose to be this hard? God seemed distant and silent in my suffering.
With tears rolling down my face, a verse suddenly jumped out at me. Exodus 14:13 NKJV says:
God had seen my tears and heard my cry for help. Every false word spoken against my family was going to be taken care of by God. He wanted to fight my battle. The only thing He expected from me was to let go, stand still and trust Him.
Be Still Before God
As I began to do an in-depth study of this verse, I learned something about God and the people of Israel. We are not much different than the Israelites.
Leading up to Exodus 14:13, Pharaoh had just let the people go and they were leaving Egypt heading for their Promised Land. But instead of going through the land of the Philistines; which would have been a faster and easier route, God led them through the edge of the wilderness.
God did this because the Philistines were at war and He didn’t want the Israelites changing their minds and heading back to Egypt when they saw the war-torn turmoil laying waste ahead of them. God took them by the way of the wilderness.
When I see how God worked in the Exodus, I have to stop and ponder the fact that He didn’t allow the Israelites to take a closer, easier route. How many times in my own life have I prayed for a quick deliverance only to realize the road to my answered prayer was going to be paved with knee prints? Although delay is not denial, I begin to grow weary in the battle.
Likewise, the Israelites begin to grow weary in their battle. God led them through the wilderness. This was not supposed to be a place to take up refuge. Inasmuch, your wilderness is not an end to all ends. I strongly believe God was protecting the Israelites and He needed them to learn to fully rely on Him. He wanted to reveal Himself as Jehovah-Jireh; the God who provides.
Be Still and see God’s Deliverance
As Pharaoh’s heart grew harder, and the Egyptians began to surround the Israelites, fear began to arise in the hearts of the people and they begin to cry out to God. As they are crying out, God asks Moses, “Why do you cry out to me?” Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” God’s reply was to stop crying and throwing a pity party and begin to move forward.
How often do we get stuck because we are focusing on the bad things happening all around us? We take our eyes off of the only One who can bring true deliverance. God had a beautiful pathway of deliverance set out for the Israelites if they would only trust Him. God wanted to fight their battle…they only needed to be still and trust Him.
How many times in our own lives do we forget the fact that God wants to fight our battles? A great army may not be chasing us down, but we sometimes feel just as trapped as the Israelites had felt. Instead of giving in to complaining and despair, we need to be still and watch the salvation of our God. Listen for His still, small voice and be obedient to His leading.
Be Still, and Hear His Still Small Voice
If you’re like me, it’s not always easy to hear His still, small voice in the noisy chaos of life. When a battle begins to rage, I usually begin to panic, then pray, rebuke something, quote scriptures, or fast. All the while God is wanting me to come to Him and ask Him what I am supposed to do to gain victory. After being brought to my knees from the weariness I had just caused myself, I realize that my own efforts are not working and I need to stand still and listen for God’s voice and His leading.
Many times, God will bring us to our knees so He can raise us up again. It is at this moment we hear the loving voice of our Father telling us, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and allow me to fight this battle for you.” You see, God never intends for us to fight our own battles.
So often, we forget God wants to fight for us. We allow pride to set in and we try to fix our problems. The very miracle God wants to do in our lives is missed. We stop just before the breakthrough. I have to wonder how many miracles I have missed because I didn’t allow God to fight my battle for me. Instead, I took matters into my own hands and grew faint fighting a battle I was never made to fight. Weariness takes over and I give up instead of standing still and allowing God to work in my life.
Falling On Our Knees
I believe there are times when God will make things so uncomfortable for us we have nowhere else to go but on our knees. Abraham Lincoln once quoted:
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
― Abraham Lincoln
When we have completely emptied ourselves of us, we realize how much we need God. With our complete surrender and our broken hallelujahs, He is able to move on our behalf. We are no longer in the way. When you feel like the battle is raging the most, raise your hands and surrender unto God. Don’t allow the enemy’s thoughts to win the battle in your mind. Surrender to the God who can overcome the enemy. Stand and watch what God will do for you!
Deliverance
The Israelites stood and saw the deliverance of God. Exodus 14:21says:
God had a way of deliverance for the Israelites. The only thing He wanted them to do was to stand still and trust in His divine protection and deliverance. To man, things looked impossible, but God always has a way of deliverance. In fact, verse 25 says:
“Let us fall from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
God will cause your enemies to tremble and flee!
Conclussion
The enemy knows the power of our God. We need to stop allowing the battles in our lives to cause us to forget the power of our God. When the battle is raging, and everything seems to be falling apart, we need to dig in our heels and stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. He is waiting with open arms for us to surrender and run to Him.
Begin to give your worries and problems over to God and allow Him to fight for you. You can maintain your peace and find joy in today!
Find Joy In Today 
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