SURROUNDED!

Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Surrounded! The Israelis’ were besieged! The Egyptians were in front and the Red Sea was behind them. They had no boats and no allies to come to their aid, in fact they had their backs against the proverbial wall; wall of water that is. There was nowhere to look but up! Often in the heat of the battle, we desperately look to those around us to bring liberation, when our only true source of deliverance is God! Man simply cannot bring the multifaceted release that we desperately need…it’ll require for the Lord to move, or as in this case to fight on our behalf.

How about you? Do you ever feel surrounded? Have you been endeavoring to walk God’s path but now you are finding yourself surrounded on every side?  Maybe you are feeling battle-worn and your heart is afraid or you are weary from the journey thus far and you realize that He alone can bring your way of escape.

Admittedly, sometimes we are called to fight the enemy by the power of and with the help of our elder brother Jesus and in those circumstances we must take up the mighty Sword of the Spirit and pursue the enemy. However there are also times when all we are asked to do is stand still and trust that Papa will do the fighting. In theory that sounds good doesn’t it? “You just stand here and watch Me Work!” But this is easier said than done! For what we embrace fully in theory (and for the lives of those around us!) in practice we often struggle with. Yes, sometimes it’s a fierce inner battle to trust then wait. Now notice that I said trust then wait, because if we will not trust then we cannot wait. It’s in the childlike trust that Papa will do exactly what He has promised that we can find the necessary peace to stand still as He moves on our behalf.

But sometimes instead of trusting His matchless weapons and very seasoned battle experience, we get out there and try to defeat the enemy's tanks with a half empty squirt gun lol...but if the battle is the Lords, maybe today our job is to merely trust that He has us covered and that He is the One waging battle in our stead. The trials we are facing have not in any way caught Him by surprise! In Psalm 37:23 it promises us that the steps of a good man (or woman) are ordered (directed, ordered, fitted, or arranged) by the Lord…so we too can be confident that He is acutely aware of where we are and what foes are currently looming large over us. He fully knows what it will take to defeat every enemy that rears its ugly head upon the path that He has selected for us.

 Let’s not forget that God had led the children of Israel to their place of besiegement! Yes, step by step, the journey, the exodus, had been His idea. He not only led them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, He chose the path to get them where He wanted them, whether by a pillar of cloud by day or a pillar of fire by night; He led the way. Since He had led them to this tight place, He was responsible to get them out! He went before them and when the enemy pursued them, He placed His cloud and His mighty angel in between them and the Egyptian army. Just think what might have happened if Israel had not listened to God's command to be still and had instead run toward the Egyptians! Surely this was a place where mere man could never bring deliverance!  

There is clearly a lesson for us in 2013 through the experiences of Israel. Perhaps today we find ourselves in a tight place stuck between a rock and a hard place, where the enemy is threatening to destroy us…it is in these frightening moments that we must choose to listen for the still small voice of our Father calling us to cease our labors and strivings and to stand quietly with trust-filled hearts knowing that the battle is His! Today, let us walk in obedience, doing all that He asks us to and then at the voice of His command, let us lay down our swords and rest in quiet confidence as He wages the war against our enemy, knowing that our Deliverer is matchless and invincible! May we His beloved children, choose to stand still, confident of complete safety, fully trusting that every foe that comes against us must first go through Him, who throughout eternity has never known defeat!

Papa, I want to be willing to fight when You are calling me to, but I also long to trust You enough to wait under the shadow of Your mighty wings as You do battle in my stead! This is part of the rest that You desire for us to experience, here in this life and not just in Heaven. Thank You Father for not only being my shield, but for being willing to fight for me…help me to let You! In Jesus Name, Amen.