Being Still

The above verse spoke deeply to me today. The “be still” part really got to me. I can’t remember the last time I was still and just let God handle everything. What does it even mean to be still?

In Exodus 14, the Israelites are being chased by the Egyptians to be captured and brought back into slavery; a slavery God had already redeemed them from. They were scared to die and scared to go back. There were no good options for them. I have been there, left with no good options, literally trying to find the best out of only terrible choices. It’s an incredibly scary place to be.

The Israelites had escaped, but their path to freedom was blocked by water. They had nowhere to go as the Egyptians were getting closer, but God created a path for them. Using Moses, He parted the waters and the Israelites walked through it on dry land to the other side. But God did so much more than create a path for them, He also took down their enemies. As the Egyptians crossed the sea on the newly created dry land, God had Moses release the waters and wash the Egyptians away. 

Where the Israelites once had no good options, God created a new one. He gave them the choice they couldn’t see because they were too busy complaining and crying out about their troubles. It wasn’t until they were quiet and still and listening to God that He created a way.

So, what is being still? I’m still trying to figure that out and apply it. I do know that my heart was very hard for a long time because I faced disappointment after disappointment, and it seemed there was nothing good left in my life. Those disappointments may have caused me to lose faith in the short term and think that God had left me, but they eventually helped me to see that He never had. As I sunk deeper and deeper into despair, I began to cry out to Him because that was the only option I had left; I was too tired to continue by myself. As heartache after heartache has hit my family, God has never left me and has continued to prove to me that He is fighting for me. He has shown me options that I never could have seen on my own.

As my heart has softened and as I rediscover my faith, I have begun to realize that being still not only means letting go of my desires for my future, it also means letting God have my present, my immediate present. The battles I am facing are not meant to be fought by me. I can’t find a good solution for them, but God can. Like the Israelites, the noise I make keeps me from the peace God gives. The more I complain and try to find my own solutions, the less I can see God working to solve everything for me. There is no peace when I fight for myself because I’m too busy fighting to find the quiet. 

So, I seek stillness. I seek to submit to let God have my enemies and deal with them as HE wants. I seek to submit to step back and let God have control of my life. It’s amazing to me how much better His plan is than anything I can devise, yet I still struggle to let Him have that control. This season of my life has been very hard but has taught me much. God always has my back, He’s always on my side, and He will fight for me. I just have to let Him. 

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.” Exodus 14:13-14