When you were a little kid, did you have trouble standing still?
I’m 46 years old and I have trouble standing still. I like to be on the move and exercise. I like to lead and get things done! But sometimes, it’s important for me to just stand still.
After Moses led God’s people out of Egypt and they were marching to the promised land, Pharaoh had a change of heart and chased them down. They were pinned in. The Red Sea was in front of them, Pharaoh’s army was behind them. The people cried out to Moses and said,
“What have you done to us? Have you brought us out here to die?”
Moses’ response was pretty amazing in Genesis 14:13:
“Don’t be afraid! STAND STILL (emphasis mine) and you will see the Lord save you today.”
Does this mean we shouldn’t do anything when faced with a crisis? No. We have to be engaged and doing all we can, but what it does tell us is the first thing we should do is stand still and ask for God’s help.
He may choose to work in and through us for the solution and we need to be ready to do our part.
Or, he may choose to do it on his own.
Maybe he’d be able to do more in my life (or even in your life) if we’d first stand still and trust him…