Original Entry: April 2007
McMinnville, Or
13 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. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." Exodus 14:13-16
My friend Dennis Spiller was the only avid hunter that I knew in our Los Osos Church. I used to look forward to those Sundays just to fellowship with Dennis and connect with another hunting buddy. One story with Dennis that is particularly funny happened after our Wyoming 2001 hunt when we butchered our bucks. Because I lived in the church parsonage we threw the butchered remains of the bucks into Dennis’ truck and hauled them down to the church trash can, which doubled as the Ramos family trash can. The trash bins sat next to the church entrance, which is an important fact of this story. This happened to be the day after trash pick up so the carcasses sat in the church dumpster for nearly a week! As people entered the church the smell was so bad that the police were called to investigate the dead body in the dumpster! Needless to say a new church policy was made that pastors can’t dump deer carcasses in the church dumpster.
I always wondered if that was handed down from the board since Dennis was also a board member!
Another thing peculiar to Dennis’ truck was the bumper sticker on the back of his truck that seemed out of place for such a rig. One the back of this “Man Rig” was a bumper sticker with the words, “Real men fight on their knees.”
Dennis, like other godly men, believes a profound truth. His bumper sticker reminds us that before we move forward we must “be still” (Psalm 46:10) and seek the Lord’s guidance, direction, and blessing (vs. 15). Just as the calm before the storm, the darkest moments before the dawn, and the drop in temperature before the sunrise, there is a stillness of prayer before we wage war in the spiritual battles of life. In fact, the scriptures tell us that we do not wage war as the world does, but our weapons are used for pulling down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Those weapons have to do with prayer. Prayer wields the sword of the Lord, tears down the walls of adversity (Joshua 6:1-20) and parts the sea of our salvation (vs. 13).
In this story the Israelites are at a deadlock. They are facing the looming Red Sea, and with the Egyptians in hot pursuit they will soon be slaughtered. Can you imagine the scene? More than a million Jews stood silent knowing this would be their last day. Moses, however, began “crying out” (15) to God for the “salvation” (13) of the people. It was in that silence that God parted the sea and delivered the people of Israel.
This got me thinking. Who are the Egyptians in my life? Who are the Egyptians in your life? What Red Sea obstacles are you stuck in a stalemate?
Instead of a war of words, choose to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Choose instead to cry out to your God for salvation and deliverance. Jesus never uttered a word in his defense, but instead “entrusted Himself to the One” (1 Peter 2:23) who could deliver him.
Trust God with your life. Trust Him for your family. Trust Him for your wife or husband. Trust Him for your children. Trust Him for your salvation.
And Remember: Real men fight on their knees!
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:9-10)
