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"And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:13-14)
Each time I read these two verses, I find myself amazed. The context of this passage is the crossing of the Red Sea, where God delivered Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. What's amazing is that right from the beginning, this is clearly the Lord's battle. Through his servant Moses, He would win the victory and destroy Egypt. God was not looking for assistance from His people, just obedience. Their task was simple: "be silent" and watch "the salvation of the Lord."
I will be the first to admit this does not come naturally for us. To sit in the passenger side of faith and let God take control is not always easy because it requires absolute surrender. Most Christian's have a hard time letting go of the reigns of our lives, but until we let God fight our battles, we will never experience His deliverance. We don't have the strength in and of ourselves to fight the enemy apart from God.
Not too long ago, I stumbled across a similar verse in 2 Chronicles. "You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you." (2 Chronicles 20:17) Indeed, we find this same message of God's deliverance throughout the Scriptures. The only requirement is that we lay ourselves at the mercy of God, and completely trust Him, by faith.
This theme of God's deliverance starts with salvation. "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son." (Colossians 1:13) Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from sin and death and eternal damnation and given the keys to the Kingdom. But the battle doesn't end at the point of our conversion - it's just the beginning. As a child of the King, you will face temptations and trials for the rest of your earthly days (2 Timothy 3:12). Deliverance will only come to those who yield themselves to the power of God.
Friend, I don't know what you are going through, but I do know the battle belongs to the Lord. If you are willing to step aside, surrender, and give it over to God, you will experience His deliverance. You might have to wait awhile (the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years), but take heart, "it will surely come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3).
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The Rev. Daniel Stegeman is pastor of Pine Glen Alliance Church in Lewistown. You can find more articles like this on his blog www.pastoral-theology.com