Stand By

"Do not fear!  Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today..."

Exodus 14:13

Lord, we Americans are really good at standing by and seeing things like college football, for instance.  In some ways, our culture is all about being a spectator. However, in the realm of crisis, we find that simply standing by and watching makes us crazy.   We hate that feeling of helplessness when calamity strikes.  We feel frantic if we can't do something to help.


Those Israelites standing at the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army rumbling toward them in chariots must have been beside themselves.  Yet, Moses' advice was, 'Don't worry; watch and see what God's going to do.'   


Holy Father, sometimes there is nothing we can do to save.  But we know You, the good, powerful, and living God who is in charge of it all. So Moses' counsel still rings true, no matter what the situation.  Let us marshall our emotions and thoughts, clinging to the truth that You can save.*  


Sometimes you reach in and deliver us in the most astonishing ways!  Sometimes you free us from our circumstance.  Sometimes you free us in and through our circumstance.  Either way, let us stand by and see  your saving work.


* God is with us when we suffer and He promises that those believers who suffer don't do it for nothing. So what happens when the rescue we're looking for doesn't occur?   Check out my brother's video called "Is God Good?" for more on this difficult topic:


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfd_1UAjeIA&feature=related