I was once invited to go on a hunting trip. Since there was equipment for at least half a dozen of us, the loading of the old Bedford Truck became a complex operation. When it became clear that we were not likely to be leaving until the early hours of the morning, I said, “Yes,” to go to a triple horror film screening at a local theatre. However, I was politely informed by our expedition leader that our expected time of departure was sooner than the films would allow, so no one must go. These were the days before smartphones and laptops, so the only entertainment available was to watch the truck being packed and unpacked. Sitting there, those old 1950s horror films that I had missed out on suddenly became a lot more exciting in my mind than they ever could have been if I had actually seen them. (All went well on the hunting trip, and I was invited on at least one other with them.)
In all fairness to my hunting compatriots, they were serious hunters, but I was, in my mind, just a guest. Any sense of boredom or “spareness” I may have felt was due, in part, to the fact that they were making room for me. I did know this at the time, but the youthful mind finds it hard to sit still.
With the Egyptians behind them, and the Red Sea before them, the terrified Israelites must have felt frozen in time. They wondered if God had led them out of slavery just to let them be slaughtered in the desert.
But God had them exactly where they needed to be—”Still,” and about to know that He is the God of salvation!
But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever” (Exodus 14:13)
If time in The Faith should have taught you and me anything, it is that sitting still and watching God in His work is vital to the church’s progress. God tells His children to cease their striving, and…
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10).
John Staiger
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