Stand there

While reading the Exodus story recently, I rediscovered a verse I had marked long ago. It is Exodus 14.14. God is giving Moses instructions on how to prepare for the Egyptian army's onslaught. "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

The footnote in my study bible comments on that verse: A necessary reminder that although Israel was "armed for battle" (13.18) and "marching out boldly" (v.8), the victory would be won by God alone.

This truth threads its way through the Bible, providing one of the consistent, clear messages we have about the character, the person of God.

Jonathan knows this. When he is bravely attacking the enemy, he states "Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." I Sam14.6 He knows that his own efforts are within the larger context of God's action.

David knows this. When he stands up to Goliath, he says "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give all of you into our hands." I Sam 17.47 The battle belongs to the Lord.

When threatened by terrifying attacking armies, God's prophet tells Jehoshaphat, "the battle is not yours, but God's" and Jehoshaphat is so convinced that he marches out to meet the enemy with his singers out front -- singers shouting the praises of God! 2 Chron 20

In Ephesians, we are told to put on the armor of God, to dress for battle. It is a wonderful "call to arms" but once suited up for war, what are we told to do? Stand. Stand firm. And pray. Just as He told Moses to be still, we are told to stand.

We are called to line up on his side. We are chosen to be on the winning team. We are invited to rest in the power of his strong arm. Our fortress and our strength. It's up to us to respond to that call. It's up to us to wear the jersey, the uniform proudly, being identified as one of God's. But the hard work, the saving work belongs to God. We can't save ourselves. We can only stand by and watch Him work his saving miracle on our behalf.

I think this is hard for people raised in a culture that takes such pride in self-sufficiency, in pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, in the can-do spirit. We want to wrestle control out of God's hands so that we can take charge and do it ourselves.

This is where we have to separate ourselves from our culture. We have to learn to be still and accept the fact that this is something we can't do for ourselves. The battle belongs to the Lord.

And when we align ourselves with Him, we are more than conquerors. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us? How amazing is that!? And nothing can separate us from his commitment to us. Romans 8:28-39

When I was a child I was often told 'Don't just stand there, do something.' Not long ago I heard that God might say to us, 'Don't DO something, just stand there.'

This does not mean that we are to shut down completely; we are called to good works. What it does mean is that our salvation is assured by the glorious work of God and He deserves my praise and adoration.

Be still and know that I am God. Ps 46:10

An excerpt

from Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson: (no comment from me needed!)

"What we must never be encouraged to do, although all of us are guilty of it over and over, is to force Scripture to fit our experience. Our experience is too small; it's like trying to put the ocean in a thimble. What we want is to fit into the world revealed by Scripture, to swim in this vast ocean.

"What we are after is first noticing and then participating in the way the large world of the Bible absorbs the much smaller world of our science and economics and politics that provides the so-called world-view in which we are used to working out our daily concerns.

"This means we have to abandon all condescending approaches to the Bible. Most of us have been trained in what is sometimes termed a "hermeneutics of suspicion." People lie a lot. And people who write lie more than most. We are taught to bring a healthy suspicion to everything we read, especially when it claims authority over us. What's going on here? What's the hidden agenda? What's behind all of this? The three modern masters of the hermeneutic of suspicion are Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud. They taught us well to take nothing at face value.

"Much of this is useful. We don't want to be taken in, manipulated by clever wordsmiths or enticed by skilled publicists and advertisers to buy things we don't want and will never use, involved in some soul-destroying program by a smooth-talking propagandist. In matters that have to do with God, we are doubly on our guard, suspicious of everything and everyone, including the Bible. We've learned to our sorrow that religious people lie more than most others -- and lies in the name of God are the worst lies of all.

"But as we narrow our eyes in suspicion, the world is correspondingly narrowed down. And when we take these reading habits to our reading of Holy Scripture, we end up with a small sawdust heap of facts.

"Paul Ricoeur has wonderful counsel for people like us. Go ahead, he says, maintain and practice your hermeneutics of suspicion. It is important to do this. Not only important, it is necessary. There are a lot of lies out there; learn to discern the truth and throw out the junk. But then reenter the book, the world, with what he calls "a second naivete." Look at the world with childlike wonder, ready to be startled into surprised delight by the profuse abundance of truth and beauty and goodness that is spilling out of the skies at every moment. Cultivate a hermeneutics of adoration -- see how large, how splendid, how magnificent life is.

"And then practice this hermeneutic of adoration in the reading of Holy Scripture. Plan on spending the rest of your lives exploring and enjoying the world both vast and intricate that is revealed by this text."

The Good Towels

Recently my mother-in-law came to visit for a few days.

I had just completed some refurbishing around the house that included some work in the guest room and guest bath. I was pleased that she would get the benefits of the time/dollars I had spent in that area.

On the day she was to leave, she told me that she had been careful not to disturb my new towels. She said that she had found some old towels to use and would take them to the laundry room before she started home.

I was stunned. She hadn't taken advantage of the offering I had made. In fact, she had gone to extra effort to avoid what I had provided. She had dug into the back of the cabinet to find some nearly threadbare, unraveling towels that I didn't know were there.

I felt sad and frustrated. I know that she was trying to be nice; I know her actions were not meant to sadden me, but I would have enjoyed doing something special for her.

I wondered if we do similar things to God. Thinking about the blessing of prayer, I know that God has told us in many different words that we should pray, pray continually, pray persistently. He tells us how to connect with Him. He invites us.

Then we decide that this isn't big enough to pray about, or this isn't something I should bother God about, or this is something I should be able to handle on my own. And we don't accept his offer to us.

Instead, we try to bear the load alone. We struggle. We hurt. When all the while, He would dearly love to be able respond to our prayers.

It seems that we aren't very good at accepting gifts. We aren't very good at enjoying the moment. Or, perhaps we get confused and try to apply the principles of sacrifice in the wrong circumstances.

Sometimes it's okay to use the good towels, be grateful for them, and enjoy them.