When Stillness Becomes Strength

When Stillness Becomes Strength

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. – Exodus 14:14

Imagine the scene: The Israelites, fresh from generations of slavery, stand at the edge of the Red Sea. Behind them, Pharaoh’s mighty army thunders closer, chariots churning dust, swords glinting in the desert sun. Before them, an impassable expanse of water. Panic, fear, and desperation must have surged through the camp. “Why have you brought us out here to die?” they surely cried.

In the midst of this overwhelming terror, Moses speaks a word from God that must have sounded utterly counterintuitive: “You need only to be still.”

Stillness. Not strategizing, not fighting, not fleeing, but simply being still. This wasn’t a call to inaction born of apathy, but a command to a profound trust in the omnipotent God. It was a directive to release their grip on their own understanding, their own strength, and their own solutions, and to allow God to step in and reveal His power.

How often do we find ourselves in similar situations? Perhaps not with an army at our heels and a sea before us, but facing overwhelming debt, a debilitating illness, a fractured relationship, or a daunting career challenge.

Our first instinct is often to scramble, to worry, to control, to “fix” it ourselves. We burn the midnight oil, exhaust ourselves with anxiety, and try every human-devised solution, only to find ourselves more stressed and no closer to a resolution.

Exodus 14:14 reminds us of a fundamental truth: some battles are not ours to fight. Some situations are so far beyond our capacity that our striving only hinders God’s work. When we are still, we are not passive; we are actively choosing to place our trust in the One who is infinitely more powerful and resourceful than we are. We are acknowledging His sovereignty and inviting Him to move in ways we could never imagine.

Stillness in this context is not idleness; it is an active posture of faith. It’s a surrender that opens the door for divine intervention. It’s the quiet confidence that allows us to witness God’s miraculous provision, just as the Israelites witnessed the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of their oppressors without lifting a sword.

Today, what “Red Sea” stands before you? What “Pharaoh” is pursuing you? Take a deep breath. Release your grip. Be still. Not with resignation, but with expectant faith. For the Lord Himself will fight for you.

Heavenly Father, we confess that often our first response to trouble is to panic, to strive, and to try to control situations in our own strength. Forgive us for our lack of trust. Lord, we hear Your word today: “You need only to be still.” Help us to truly grasp the depth of this command. Teach us to quiet our anxious hearts, to release our burdens into Your capable hands, and to rest in the certainty that You are fighting on our behalf. Open our eyes to see Your mighty hand at work, even when we cannot discern it. We surrender our fears, our worries, and our need to control, and we embrace the power of stillness, trusting fully in Your unfailing love and limitless power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Faith is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. There is no triumph unless you have struggled with your fears.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed 🙏🏼