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First verse …
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever (Exodus 14:13, NASB1995).
The Israelites left Egypt.
The Lord then led them into a trap. God told Moses to wander around in the wilderness for a while, which baited Pharaoh and his army to chase them.
The Israelites wandered, and the Egyptians, having second thoughts about letting them go, decided to give chase. If the Israelites had quickly left Egypt, Pharaoh might have forgotten about them.
Now the Pharaoh’s army had them trapped – the nation of Israel had the Red Sea in front of them and the following Egyptian army behind them.
What did Moses say to the Israelites? “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord.”
I’ve thought many times, “God, why am I doing this ministry? Why do I have to put up with these difficulties? I’m serving because you led me here, so why all the problems?”
God’s calling releases great challenges in our lives. Why? So that we will see the salvation of the Lord and rejoice in the great things that He accomplishes for us.
Second verse …
The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent (Exodus 14:14).
When I experience fear, I don’t keep silent. I want others to know my problems. And often, I share my feelings just to complain!!!
It takes faith to be silent until the Lord eliminates the cause of fear. This is the faith … enduring faith … that God wants us to learn. The book of James says, “Know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
A simple Biblical plan for dealing with fear – keep silent and watch God do something about it.
And what did God do?
He parted the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked through on dry land, and as the Egyptians followed, they got stuck in the mud. Point to note – by faith, we can walk through danger without harm, while others following just behind us will stumble and fall.
Example: I was walking with a man who had worked in a difficult area of New York City for years, and as we walked through the frowns and stares of gang members, he said, “Don’t worry, they know and respect me!” My worry didn’t completely go away, but we did walk safely.
I also decided that I wouldn’t walk by myself in that area.
Our question, “Are we safe?” is answered by another question, “Are we walking on the path of God’s calling?”
There is no greater position of peace than God’s will, even when trapped by trials and enemies.