Theme for the month of June:

Do Not Fear

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:13-14

“Stand firm,” Moses tells the Israelites, and “Be still.”

Standing firm is not my strong suit.  In the face of fear, I am more likely to be buffeted and swayed than to stand firm.  When self-doubt creeps in, I can easily crumble under pressure. 

Being still is not my strong suit, either.  I would rather rely on a flurry of activity to fend off angst.  Tick off the to-do list.  Check the boxes.  Move on to the next task and the next and the next.

How often do I miss the LORD’s deliverance?  Try to fight my own battles and fail to see the LORD fighting for me?

The instruction Moses gives the Israelites when they are being pursued by the enemy challenges every fiber of my being.  When every instinct I have is to run away, when fear, even terror, moves me to flee, what faith, resolve, and self-discipline it takes to stand firm and to be still!

It feels like giving up, like surrender and I suppose it is, but it is not surrender to the enemy. 

It is surrender to the One who parts the waters and goes on before me, the One who makes a way where there seems to be no way.

The Israelites must have thought Moses was out of his mind—stand firm, be still and let the enemy overtake us?  It would have been better to stay in captivity in Egypt because we’re going to die in the wilderness!   But if they had not listened, they would have missed out on their freedom.  THey would have missed out on witnessing the parting of the Red Sea, on witnessing the power of God.

Through Moses, God tells them not to be afraid, but instead, to be still, and let the LORD fight for them.  I love the poetry of the King James translation of this verse:  “The LORD shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.”

Be not afraid. 

Hold your peace. 

This is the word of the LORD for the Israelites fleeing Eqypt, and for God’s people, always, in fearful and uncertain times.

Let us pray: 

Lord, in the face of fear and uncertainty, teach me to stand firm, to be still, and to hold my peace, trusting in your deliverance.  Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.