The Lord will fight for you; you need only to BE STILL.

I’ve been reading this book called Sun Stand Still that my church is doing a 40 day study on, along with small groups. Meeting once a week to watch a video and discuss each chapter, along with times in the Word and in prayer. I am SO eager to get started, I just read some of Chapter six today and the Lord really smacked me upside the head. It’s really stinkin’ hilarious how God has been answering me SO FAST lately with some things. I literally was texting Chrissie about being grumpy today, and then I open the book to chapter six and this is what I read: “My five year old and I have a great time playing Wave Jumper at the beach during the summer. Here’s a brief description of this Furtick family game. I spend quite a while convincing Elijah that playing in the shallow part of the ocean isn’t as fun as going out a little deeper. He looks uncertain. I insist. He hesitates but finally agrees. We start wading. The whole time, I stand behind Elijah, he holds his arms high above his head, and I hold tightly to his hands. The farther he’s willing to wade, the better. I take him out to the place where the water hits his chest. Then we wait for a big wave. When we see one rolling towards us, Elijah says he wants to go back to the shallow part. I convince him everything’s cool. He seems relatively assured – enough to give this a try. “But just this one time,” he says. Finally the wave arrives. Elijah screams to make sure I’m in position. I assure him that I am right behind him. And at the last possible moment, just before the water wipes him out, I jerk him up. High enough that the ocean water doesn’t spray his face or fill his ears – he hates getting water in his ears. Elijah laughs uncontrollably. Then he proudly screams at the top of his lungs, “I’m the wave jumper! Let’s jump another wave Daddy!” And we jump another one and another one and another one. What five-year-olds lack in strength they more than make up for in endurance. So much for “just one time.” I don’t have the heart or feel the need to explain to my boy that, technically, he’s not the wave jumper. Daddy is the wave jumper. He should probably scream something like, “I’m the hand holder!” We all know that Daddy is the one doing the heavy lifting here. In actuality, my son’s assignment on Team Furtick is simple and minimal: to keep his hands reaching upward and trust that when the wave comes I’ll lift him high above it. This is the essence of the audacious faith, It’s also a picture of how our faith and God’s faithfulness work together when we trust Him to do great things. I know Wave Jumper isn’t likely to catch on as a national pastime. But I think it illustrates one of the most common patterns in Scripture: As the big waves roll toward us, God promises to do the heavy lifting. He only requires that we have the faith to wade in as deep as he leads and keep reaching up to him.

The author then goes to tell the story of how the people of Israel escape Egypt, and while running around in confusion and terror Moses says: “The LORD will fight for you; you only need to be still” (Exodus 14:14) To be still doesn’t necessarily mean to not move, otherwise they would have died. It basically means to calm down, to quiet their hearts, to stop being so afraid of what’s happening and to believe that God will “lift them up high enough.” Sure enough, God parted the red sea and they crossed over in safety. Imagine that, really though, picture it. If you believe it, He will make it happen, according to His Word, and His promises. How comforting is that? We have a God that will fight for us, all we need to do is BE STILL. I know I have the HARDEST time being still, in my mind I am trying to work all of it out, think of possible scenarios and outcomes, thinking what can I do exactly to make things work. But when you let all of that go, really let it go, and believe that God is going to come through for you, that He is going to lift you HIGH above the waves before they come crashing down around you, you will find your peace. The NKJV of that verse is; “God will fight for you, and you will keep your peace.” The peace of God that passes ALL understanding, you may be facing some of the worst trials in your life, but if you are hanging onto that promise, you WILL have that crazy insane peace that is literally beyond your understanding. Lately I’ve been feeling that, everything in my life is basically the exact opposite than from what I thought I would have, or even want, yet I have had more peace NOW than in the past year when I was trying to do things my own way and trying to make things work, and have what looked like should have been, but wasn’t. It’s crazy, I have never felt more not alone recently than in the past year of my life while I was IN a relationship in which I was determined to make work.

But to trust in the Lord also means resigning control, and that is a really hard thing for me to do. I have realized lately that I am a CONTROL FREAK and a manipulator. I like to make things work for me on my own terms and I used to manipulate situations to get the outcome I wanted. That is CLEARLY sinful and wrong. But thanks Jesus for your mercy and forgiveness and that You lead me out of these ways, and I am definitely in need of You.

Anyway, that was a long rant, but those of you out there that have really tough situations in front of them, just lift your hands up and let Daddy pull you up out of the water before the waves engulf you. Believe that He will, and He will (even if you don’t believe it, because He’s that good.) God is far above and beyond anything that we face, and we don’t have to ever face anything alone. I am so thankful for Him, and how He took me back in an instant.