“The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Exodus 14:14 NLT
I have a very soft spot for this verse. The first time I heard God’s voice, it was this verse He spoke back to me.
So let’s break down this little but transformative verse.
LORD HIMSELF
So we know the Lord is three in one, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all functioning in different capacities. God operates as the mastermind behind all. In God are all things, Jesus operates on the will of God and the Holy Spirit operates on the will of Jesus.
It is in God that all creation, all life and all power stem from. When God usually communicated and worked with humans, it was usually through the manifestation of something. He could have been an angel, a gentle whisper, a pillar of fire or Jesus.
Now that we have this picture of the greatness of God, it is intriguing that the Lord Himself said He will fight for us. The Lord did not say He will send an angel or heavenly armies. He said He will fight for us Himself. Now pardon me if I start stepping into difficult situations differently. The Lord Himself said He will fight for me!
Today, as you read this, think about the situation that is troubling you. Big or small. Ponder it and talk to it and yourself about how the Lord of all said that He will be with you and fight for you.
FIGHT FOR YOU
I’ve recently, on occasion, started watching UFC, because my partner thoroughly enjoys it. What I have observed in these sports is you have to play the long game. You don’t play to finish immediately, you play to observe your opponent, to perfect your craft and to eventually attack and end the fight.
The Lord will fight for you. What will that look like Lord? Will it be victory in everything I pray about? Will the person I’m praying to be healed actually be healed? Will my mental health seize to be a problem for me?
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:28 NLT
It will work out for your good. Do you have faith in God enough to believe that even if you are not healed, if you don’t get what you ask for, if you continue to be mentally unstable that God has worked it out for your good. Do you believe that?
Are you willing to you believe that the presence of pain is not the absence of God’s goodness in your life?
To paint a better picture, the Israelites had come from slavery from Egypt. There is no doubt that there was some deep trauma there. They had to walk their way into the land God promised them, their feet hurt, they ate the same thing, they lost family on the journey. Regardless of all these factors, God was abundantly good to them. The presence of pain does not disqualify the presence of God’s goodness.
Today the Lord wants to tell you that He will fight for you. He is fighting for you. Your victory is not God’s victory. God’s victory is God’s victory. God’s utmost priority is not your enjoyment, God’s priority is your sanctification, holiness, to get you ready for our home (heaven) and have you efficiently bring people to Christ while you wait.
You may wonder where does the abundant life we are assured of fit into this narrative, it fits only in having faith in the goodness of our God. We are only able to have joy and peace in suffering if we know God’s hand is on our life aka He is fighting for us.
“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
Psalms 32:8 NLT
To condense this, God is always fighting for you. Even through the traumatic and painful parts of life. Our Jesus defeated death, but still has holes in His hands and feet. Pain does not disqualify God’s presence, it helps quantify our faith in Him.
Allow God to fight for you darling.
CALM
This part of the verse absolutely gets me tweaking because what do you mean be calm when there is a fight!
In other translations it says be “still”, “keep your mouths shut” or “hold your peace”. Our calmness is what God asks of us while He fights for us. Why?
The opposite of being calm is being anxious and worrisome. As mentioned above the Lord is interested in your sanctification. This means the Lord is invested in not only answering your prayers, but also making you a better vessel for the work He wants to do in you.
The work He wants to do in you requires partnering with Him, partnering with Him means listening to Him and it’s no surprise that listening to Him requires us to be quiet and listening. An anxious temperament stands in the way you being able to listen.
The effect of anxiously going through a season of calamity in which the Lord is fighting for you is that you have a warped sense of the waiting period. The waiting period is not marked with anxiety and worry and what if’s, it is marked with joy, peace and productivity.
God wants us to be calm as He fights for us because while He fights He wants to work on you. But He can’t work on a preoccupied spirit.
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Psalms 46:10 NLT
What does calmness look like?
Calmness looks like staying in the word. It looks like going to church and continuing to pursue the Lord even if you feel delayed.
Staying calm does not mean you stop asking. No. Staying calm means you ask as many times as you would like to but do not obsess after the fact.
If you feel yourself spiralling, pray. Prayer does wonders to the unsettled mind and spirit . Talk about your fears, your concerns and your wishes. Talk about it all.
“When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul.”
Psalms 94:19
Recommended Media for Exodus 14:14
God Will Work Out- Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine, Israel Houghton
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