My son Stephen and I have been reading our way through The Golden Children’s Bible, and the other day we arrived at the shores of the Red Sea.
It’s curious how things jump out at you unexpectedly, even in stories you’ve known for decades. This time it was the words of Moses to the panicky Israelites: “The Lord will fight for you if you will be calm.”
Huh. If you will be calm. I scurried off to my own Bible and looked up Exodus 14:14. The NIV translation was a bit different: “The Lord will fight for you. Just be still,” but the meaning was the same: Anxiety isn’t going to win you any battles. It might even get in the way of what God has planned.
Most of us have occasions when we are trapped by circumstances, when we feel helpless or afraid. Even when the danger isn’t as intense as having chariots thundering down on us, fear can be truly paralyzing. It makes me stop to wonder: How different is a fear-paralyzed heart from a hardened one? The will of God can’t penetrate either.
I turned back to Exodus 14:14 and thought about it some more. This time I meditated on the first part: “The Lord will fight for you.” If the Lord will fight for us, why are we afraid?
A problem that has been giving me anxiety lately came to mind. I imagined it as Pharaoh’s army. Then I prayed:
Lord, move the cloud of your protection between me and my fear, and let me walk ahead confident that you have chosen this path… even if I don’t see how things can possibly work out.
