“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14).”

“I know You have plans to give me hope and a future, but this isn’t the future I want,”I silently pleaded with the Lord.

I had just received a phone call from my doctor. She said that I needed a full hysterectomy and that she referred me to an oncologist to perform the surgery because my blood work results were so unfavorable. Thankfully, when I received the news, my Bible was open. In God’s loving-kindness, He had poured His Words into my heart in preparation for my doctor’s call, as if surrounding me already with His promises. I felt His presence assuring me that He was aware of my situation and encouraging me to cling to Him during this trial. After hearing about my diagnosis, a friend directed my attention to the story of the Israelites found in Exodus 14, reminding me that God was the only way I would make it through my personal crisis. In this chapter, the Israelites were facing a crisis of their own—and it wasn’t their first. In fact, the Israelites were far too familiar with crises. They had been enslaved by the Egyptians for over 400 years, until God sent Moses to lead them to freedom. After ten plagues, they set out to reach their promised land. God gave them a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire so they would know He was with them on their journey.

Sensing their desperation, their leader, Moses, reassured them by saying, “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).

With no apparent way of escape, Moses called upon God to intervene, and the Lord opened up a dry path for them to safely cross. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites, but the Lord swept them into the sea. When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed, they were filled with awe and they put their trust in Him (14:31).

Though their present plight looked dismal, they depended on the Lord and He came to their rescue. They simply needed to be still. Once God made a way, they walked safely to the other side.

We know what it feels like to be trapped, don’t we? We’ve all experienced life circumstances that cause us to despair. In the midst of my diagnosis, there really was nothing I could do but be still and pray for God to move on my behalf. His rescue came in the form of His presence, in the form of His Spirit, and in the form of my loved ones, doctors, and nurses. I can testify that God never left my side. I’ve always known this to be the case. However, especially in our most difficult trials, God quiets our hearts and proves Himself faithful to be present in a special way.

I am now safely on the other side of my Red Sea health crisis. I’m grateful to report that my biopsy results were benign. As I recount my story, I want to be sensitive to the fact that you may not have received the good report I did. For reasons unbeknownst to me, God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). But we can always trust Him to make a way. In fact, Jesus is the Way for all of us on this earthly journey to make it to the promised land and be with Him in heaven forever (John 14:6).

We aren’t all promised to make it to the other side of our Red Seas this side of eternity. But we are promised that God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). He will be present with you in the midst of your trials.

While the Hebrews looked to pillars of cloud and fire, we can look to God’s Word day and night to know He is with us, helping us through every life circumstance. We have the Bible and His Holy Spirit to guide us each day.

If you are facing a future you wouldn’t have chosen, look to His Word for reassurance of His presence. Open your Bible and then be still. Trust Him to make a way. He is your omnipresent protector and provider. Regardless of what it may seem like now, He is preparing a beautiful future ahead.

Lord, remind me to be still and know that You are God. Amen.

Reflection:

How has God made a way for you in the past? How does this give you hope for the future?