“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14 NIV)
It was during the first Spring mowing of my lawn that I made an unexpected discovery. As I was mowing next to a rather large evergreen bush, I was startled by a bird which flew out very close to me. Later I found a small blue egg on the ground and realized that the bird had apparently built a nest in the bush. Likewise, when human beings are confronted with threatening or even challenging situations, their bodies also react with a personal fight and flight response. The response helps them decide whether they should stay and fight, run, or remain still during a threatening situation. Unlike other life forms, we often linger in a high stress state long after an initial trigger has passed. Doing so requires enormous energy, eventually overloading our body and keeping us on-edge as we prepare for the next shoe to drop. This can lead to serious anxiety issues, preventing an otherwise peaceful and happy life. For the believer, however, there is a very simple way to turn off the fight or flight response which, if followed, will help to guide them through a less conflicted and more joyful life. It is found in Deuteronomy 20:4: “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
In Exodus 14:14 (NIV) we’re reminded that God sees all that we’re going through and acts on our behalf. The verse reads, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Some translations replace the word still with “calm” (NLT) or “silent” (ESV). Whichever way you read it, the words and concept are powerful for weary hearts in need of assurance. After letting the Israelites go out into the wilderness, Pharaoh pursued them with the might of his army and his own hardened heart. The Israelites were spiritually and emotionally weak, and cried out to Moses, complaining that perhaps they should have stayed in Egypt where they were enslaved but at least safe and well-fed. With the Egyptian army bearing down, and the Red Sea at their backs, the Israelites needed God to find hope. Moses spoke these confident words just before parting the sea: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today (Exodus 14:13 NIV). Christians would live a powerful life if they could trust in this amazing truth, but it seems to be difficult to believe it. None-the-less, it is as true for us as it was for the Israelites.
There may be many occasions when we feel just like these Israelites, cornered with absolutely no way to see a way through our problem. The way God chooses to work in our situation may look very different from the way He provided for them. There may be times He certainly wants us to pick up our spiritual armor and fight. Or it could be that He simply wants us to wait where we are until He prompts us to move through a path He has cleared just for us. Whether He wants to fight through you or for you, He will come and help you when you rely on Him alone. Whatever God’s direction is for us, it has a purpose. Through His Son Jesus Christ, we are promised freedom from the fears of an uncertain future. Although our circumstances may feel overwhelming, we need to let Him have control to fight the battle we are facing. While other options may sound like a good idea in the heat of the moment – always decide that you won’t take flight from, but only into, the Lord’s protection. We must stand firm in the faith that only He alone can provide.
REFLECTION: Has there been a time when you’ve felt attacked? How did you respond (with fight or flight)? With what are you currently struggling? Spend some time in prayer to see whether God wants you to fight, lay down your weapons, or simply exercise your faith by giving the battle over to Him? How can we prepare to find strength and provide wise counsel to others as we read these words from the apostle Paul: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10 NLT)?
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