chill

Ok, picture this...

The children of Israel have made good on their escape from Egypt.

They are at the shore of the Red Sea.

Then the word comes down from the rear guards that Pharaoh & his entire army are in hot pursuit.

Remember Egypt was the mac daddy country back then.

They had the biggest, baddest army on earth.

And they were bearing down on the children of Israel, newly released slaves after 400 years.

And their backs are against the Red Sea – nowhere to go, no way of escape.

Needless to say, they were more than a little chapped with Moses – bringing them out here in the desert to be killed by Pharaoh's army!

Now, I think they had every right to be mad at Moses (well, really, they were mad at God).

But then, they had just seen God send a whole bunch of plagues on Egypt to make Pharaoh let them go.

But, well, I'm sure if I was standing with my back to the Red Sea & could see Pharaoh's army high tailing toward me, I probably would have a few doubts about my further existence, even having witnessed the recent plagues.

It's east to come down hard on the Israelites because we've read to the end of the story.

They didn't have that benefit while standing there at the Red Sea – all they knew was here comes Pharaoh!

And what did Moses say to them?

The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. [Exodus 14:14 (NLT)]

Yeah...

That was a pretty ballsy thing to say, don't ya think?!

I'm sure more than one Israelite thought Moses had done lost his mind!

But then God told Moses to hold his staff over the Red Sea.

Moses did,

& the sea parted,

& the children of Israel walk through ON DRY LAND,

& Pharaoh's army followed them into the parted water,

& God closed the water around them

& the whole army drowned.

Well, alrighty then...!

So, I guess God came through for them in a miraculous, stupendous, & COMPLETELY unexpected way.

I mean, Israel had NEVER seen the likes of THAT before!

So?

If God can pull off something like that for the children of Israel,

wouldn't it stand to reason He could take care of whatever prissy problems we might face?

This is one of the verses I feel like God wants me to hold on to during 2016.

Don't know why – the year is still young.

But for some reason, I must need to have the assurance this year that God will fight for me...

...all I have to do is stay calm.

...chill.

...cool it.

Maybe this is a verse you need to hold on to, too?

Maybe you feel your back to to the wall (or the Red Sea).

There's no way out.

No escape.

And you're going to be annihilated, figuratively, or literally.

God says to you, & me, the same thing...

“The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”