Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
In the Old Testament, in the times before Jesus was crucified, people could not talk to God the way we can now. Prophets chosen by God acted as a mediator, like a phone line, to God. Moses was the chosen leader for Israel. He heard from God and in turn, told the people. This changed after Jesus was crucified, giving us all a direct line to God. In Exodus, Moses heard from God over and over about what to say to Pharaoh in order to convince him to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Time and time again, Pharaoh would either agree to it, then go back on his word, or just plain refuse. God knew ahead of time that this would happen, and He allowed it to happen until finally, Pharaoh told Moses and the Israelites to leave because of all of the plagues that had resulted from Pharaoh's stubbornness.
Once the Israelites left, Pharaoh realized what he had just agreed to and decided to go after them. He gathered together his army and pursued the Israelites. When the Israelites saw the army approaching, the were terrified. They questioned Moses, and ultimately God, as to why they agreed to be led out of Egypt. They thought they would all die for sure, and would have rather stayed in slavery and bondage to the Egyptians than to die in the desert. They did not have much food, and the comforts of home were gone. When times were tough, they wanted to turn back. In this time when Moses could have been so overwhelmed and afraid himself, he turned to the people and said: Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
In this case, "be still" did not mean stay still. The Israelites still had to do their part and keep moving forward, trusting God to provide the way. They should be at peace, knowing that they were being led by the Lord. God is a loving God, yet He is also sovereign. He is our Father, and He fights for His children. We don't always see the way ahead of us, but when it is God's plan and path that we are following, sometimes we just need to focus on putting one foot in front of the other and trust that God will do the rest, He will fight for us.
For some reason, my last set of scans earlier this month rattled me a little more than others. I feel frustrated that yet, while nothing has changed since December, nothing has changed since December. I want to overcome this. And that is where God has been teaching me the last few weeks. I cannot win this battle on my own. I can't turn back, I can only move forward. I need to rely on God's plan and path ahead of me, and know that He does not expect me to win the battle on my own. I need to trust Him enough to keep moving forward, and know that He will fight for me. My job is not to fight right now. I know He is telling me to just be still, not stay still, just to have that peace within.
I have been thinking about all of this for the last few days, and have been woken up with a song on my mind. I will include the lyrics on this page, but also the link to listen to the song.
Be Still and Know by Steven Curtis Chapman
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still, O restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that he has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still
Be Still, and know that He is God
Be Still, and know that He is God
Be Still, and know that He is God
Be Still; Be speechless
Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know he is our Father
Come rest your head upon his breast
Listen to the rhythm of his unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still, Be still
Click here to listen to Be Still and Know by Steven Curtis Chapman
My next appointment at CTCA is scheduled for Monday. I arranged the appointments so that my mom and I could leave early Monday morning an arrive in time for my noon check in. I will have my blood work done and meet with my Doctor's assistant before having my chemotherapy started late afternoon. I won't finish until late that night, which makes for a very long day. We'll stay overnight and then start home Tuesday morning to be home by evening. Please pray for safe travel and rest. I also developed a cold this week, so I am also praying that this would clear up before treatment. I will try to update next week when I am home, if not before then. I never know when God will give me something to say!