In front of them was the insurmountable sea, and behind them, the rapidly approaching army of the furious Pharaoh. A dead end with no prospects and no way forward. We can well imagine how the Israelites all cried out in fear.
We, too, can sometimes find ourselves in such a dead end. There is no way forward, no way back; we no longer know what to do; we simply see no way out – and time is also running against us.
In such a situation, God’s encouragement to His people back then can also encourage us: “You will be still.” To put it another way: “I will take care of the matter; you can be quiet and watch me do it.” As Matthew Henry wrote: “When God puts His children in a predicament, He will find a way to get them out.”
“Your peace is not in having your life under control, but in trusting in the One who has everything under control.” (unknown)
Peter is a great example of such trust. Since James has just been executed, he must assume that the same fate awaits him while in prison. What does he do in the face of impending death? He is sleeping. It is incredible, he actually is sound asleep (see Acts 12:6-7). So much so, in fact, that an angel has to poke him in the side to wake him up. Peter is so at peace inside that he can rest completely without fear of what awaits him. David writes in the same way: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
During the Second World War, a missionary was captured by enemy soldiers. He was so frightened that he didn’t dare close his eyes. At some point, he realized that he had to change his view of things. He reports: “I began to talk to the Lord. He reminded me of the word from Psalm 121:1-4: ‘I will lift my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ So I prayed: ‘Lord, it makes no sense for both of us to stay awake all night. If You stay awake, I thank You that I can sleep.’”
“When I’m anxious, it’s because I’m trying to do everything myself. When I’m calm, it’s because I remember: God is in control.” (unknown)
There are several beautiful exhortations in the Bible to be still and quiet:
- “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:7a)
- “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” (Psalm 62:5)
- “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15b)
- “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:26)
- “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131:2)
We can be still because the Lord can calm and even still the raging waters around us. Ethan says in a psalm: “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:9)
Charles Spurgeon writes: “It is always weakness to agonize, doubt, and distrust. Why should we toil until we are but skin and bones? Can we gain anything by fearing or raging? Do we not render ourselves incapable of action and shatter our spirit so that we can no longer make a calm decision? We sink by our kicking, though we could swim if we had faith. May we have the grace to be still! Our strength lies in being still. He deserves it that we trust in Him and be still. Come, my soul, return to your rest!”
An anecdote can help us to put this into practice. A craftsman had fallen off a ladder at work and broken his leg. The thought of perhaps being confined to bed for a long time and unable to do any manual work tormented the hard-working family man more than any pain. When the old doctor, who had known the man for years, had examined the fracture and applied the first emergency bandage, the injured man asked anxiously: “Tell me, doctor, how long will I have to lie in bed?” The doctor smiled and replied: “Just one day for today, dear friend!” The injured man reached out his hand to the doctor and said: “You’re right; it’s hard enough for today, and it would be foolish to make my heart heavy by worrying about the future. I will lie still for today and leave the rest to God.”
So we, too, can be still and trust our Lord!
“He who trusts God silently will soon rejoice aloud.” (unknown)
The Lord Jesus tells you today: “Don’t be afraid! I will take care of your worries and needs. Your part is to be inwardly calm and quiet. If you trust Me in this way, you can sleep peacefully like Peter!”
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