Before the Rescue

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 (NKJV) I love the gritty, last-minute deliverance stories in the Bible. It makes me want to cheer when God wins another seemingly hopeless battle. But how about the time before the rescue, before the miracle? The Israelites faced a hopeless situation. They just got set free from the evil clutches of Egypt and headed towards their Promised Land. No more slavery. God’s presence in a cloud by day and a pillar of fi re by night to guide them. No worries, right? But wait . . . Those Egyptians. Coming fast and furious. Lots of them. Horses and chariots, too! No time to outrun them. The Red Sea straight ahead! The Israelites were trapped and desperate. Now, hold up a minute. You probably know what’s about to happen. But picture for a moment being there in that time before the rescue. The people were so afraid, they thought they’d die there. But Moses stood up and declared, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!” (Exodus 14:13). But Moses, we’re trapped! “The Lord will fight for you,” he continued. Moses, the enemy is too strong! “. . . and you shall hold your peace.” Peace? In the middle of this? Then the Lord told Moses to lift his rod out over the sea, and the waters parted. The people walked across on dry land, but the Egyptians who followed didn’t make it. God’s people were miraculously saved! This is an amazing story of deliverance, but the real miracle to me is when Moses spoke those words in faith before anything good came to be. He hadn’t seen it yet, but he trusted God to help and to deliver them. He expected God to fight for them. No question. When we are faced with trying circumstances, remember Moses’ declaration. Keep your faith and expect God to move. Hold on to your peace, friend, the Lord is fighting for you. – Kim (Hill) Elias   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org