Day 2: Stand Still

Exodus 14:13 (NLT)

“But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid.

Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.’”

A command to stand still sounds pretty familiar, right? Whether we’re calling it quarantine or lockdown or shelter in place or stay at home, most of the world is being asked to stand still in one way or another. Is anyone else a little surprised by how hard that actually is?

My husband is a big fan of movies where either a disaster is threatening to end the world, or the world has already ended and the drama happens in some kind of post-apocalyptic society. Have you ever noticed how many movies there are that fit this genre? Since I don’t share his enthusiasm, I haven’t watched nearly as many as he has, but they are typically heart-thumping adventure stories. We picture what we would do in a similar situation. 

The Covid-19 crisis would make a pretty dull movie. You could probably write a good medical drama, but for most of us there isn’t much action. Imagine a narrator saying, “Then the family streamed movies, played board games, and ordered groceries for curbside pickup.” 

Don’t get me wrong – I’m thankful that I can keep my family home for the safety of ourselves and others. I’m not wishing for more drama in the midst of this. But I am a doer, and I know I’m not alone. Give me something to do in a crisis and I’ll gladly do it. Ask me to sit still and wait? It should be easier, but in many ways it’s not. 

Exodus 14 is a familiar scene for many of us. The Israelites have finally escaped from slavery in Egypt and they’ve begun their journey through the desert, but then Pharaoh changes his mind and sends the army after them. So there they are, cornered against the sea as the army approaches. Destruction seems certain and no one sees a way out. At least they didn’t have a dozen 24-hour news channels describing just how dire the situation is from every possible angle, right? Even without in-depth analysis, they knew the situation was bad. Were they scared? Um, yup.

So how dumb does Moses sound when his two-fold advice is a) don’t be afraid, and b) stand still? Fear is a reasonable response and standing still is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of leadership is that? Do nothing?

I don’t know how much time the Israelites had to contemplate the situation or argue about what to do about it. It doesn’t sound like they had a lot of warning, yet verses 11-12 tell us they took a few minutes to complain about the situation to Moses. I imagine there was a “live to fight another day” group organizing themselves to surrender and return to slavery in Egypt while the “live free or die” gang was preparing to drown themselves in the sea rather than face bondage again. What other option was there?

The beginning of Exodus 14 is pretty clear that God was pulling some strings behind the scenes to walk the Israelites into a seemingly impossible situation so that he could build their faith and reveal his power and glory to them. Generations upon generations pointed back to this day in times of difficulty, reminding each other that they served a God who had made a way through the sea. 

But first, was the choice. They chose to follow instructions they didn’t understand. They chose not to give in to the fear but to simply stand still. Sometimes standing still is the ultimate act of faith – to quiet the voice of fear and watch for the Lord to rescue us from a situation that seems impossible. 

Moment of Beauty:

Take a few minutes to close your eyes and listen prayerfully to the soothing tones of the song Peace Be Still by Stephen Iverson.