Growing with God

When difficulties come, it’s easy to give in to worry and fear. When problems arise, we can find ourselves shaken, beaten, and hurt. The Israelites experienced this when God was rescuing them from slavery. They were stuck between the Red Sea and the Pharaoh’s army. But Moses told the Israelites, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still†(Exodus 14:14). Then God sent an angel to block the Pharaoh’s army, and God parted the sea, “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left†(Exodus 14:22). On that day, God rescued His people. And they only needed to be still.

Sometimes when we’re in trouble, God calls us to do the same. When all seems lost, don’t get discouraged or give up. You need not fight because God will fight your battle for you. Just like the Israelites were helpless to save themselves from the Egyptian army, we were all helpless to save ourselves from sin, brokenness, and death. So God sent Jesus to rescue us.

When Jesus was crucified, He did not fight back. He let people beat Him, spit on Him, whip Him, and nail Him to a cross like a common criminal. It didn’t look like He was winning His battle, but God, in the stillness of Jesus, fought the battle against sin and death. And God raised Him back to life on the third day.

Whatever battle you have, whatever is troubling you, whatever is pushing you down or causing you pain, remember that God is fighting for you. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you are held securely in His love and He will never give up on you. Though we will endure many pains and sorrows like Jesus did, He is always with us. Through it all, God provides peace. Sometimes, it’s through stillness that He brings victory.

If you are a Christian, Jesus’s Holy Spirit is in you, and He helps you to be still before God. The same Jesus who calmed the stormy sea is the God who gave us His peace (John 14:27). Nothing is impossible for Him. You can be still because He is the almighty God and nothing is too hard for Him to do. Most of all, you can live in stillness because God loves you and He will do whatever it takes to help, save, and protect you. You can trust Him, knowing that He can do great things in your life. • Golda Dilema

• Do you feel like you’re fighting your battles alone? What problems storm and trouble you?

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.†Psalm 46:10a (NIV)

Read Verses:

John.15.1-John.15.17|Rom.5.3-Rom.5.5|Gal.5.22-Gal.5.23|Col.2.6-Col.2.7