April 17, 2024

Exodus 14:1-14 (HCSB)
14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” So the Israelites did this. The Egyptian Pursuit 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said: “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” 6 So he got his chariot ready and took his troops with him; 7 he took 600 of the best chariots and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in each one.
8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out triumphantly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army—chased after them and caught up with them as they camped by the sea beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians coming after them. Then the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. 11 They said to Moses: “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.”

Sarah Ricciardi
“Stand firm and see...” Standing isn’t passive. Go ahead. Stand up right now. Feel your muscles engage as your abs, legs, feet, shoulders line up to support your body. Standing also signals expectation. We stand to greet a visitor. We stand during the buzzer beating moments of a sporting event. We stand to worship. We stand when we are ready. “Stand FIRM.” Not wishy-washy, trying to grasp the outcome we want or molding a “fix” we can envision. FIRM. And SEE. Standing is linked to focus. “SEE the salvation of the LORD.” The literal translation of “to provide” is “to see”. Allowing our vision to be cleared of the world’s muck, mire, muddied priorities and messed up definitions, allows us to recognize God as our Jehovah Jireh–Provider. What battle do you need to acknowledge God IS fighting for you?