What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

Ever been between a rock and a hard place?  Not an easy place to be.

You need the money and you need it now. 

You need answers on what to do about a decision and the deadline is looming.

The disease has spread and the medicine is not working. 

Bottom line: your back is against a wall. 

We live in a world that is in constant motion. Just slowing down on a busy street in your car to find an address will make you upset commuters (at least that's the way it is here in California). Today's society is all about make a decision and make a move.

Sometimes life isn't that clear cut and there is no place to move. Sometimes the only route out is looking up.

This is the place where the children of Israel found themselves at they sat trapped on the beaches of the Red Sea with an army of 600 of Pharaoh's chariots chasing them. They were hemmed in by mountainous terrain with no route of escape. In front of them was a sea that (at its widest point) was 220 miles across to dry land. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

But Exodus 14:13 lets up know this: "And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today."

A while back I got stuck in this verse; specifically on the words: Stand Still.

Stand still. Seems like a crazy command when you have an angry army on your heels. Standing sounds passive. Yet it's anything but! The Hebrew definition of the word stand means to station something, to continue, remaining. RemainING. 

Adding the suffix "ing" to any word means there is a continuing action. 

We think of standing as waiting. Standing in line..waiting to be next. Standing around wasting time. Standing doing nothing.

Add to that the Hebrew meaning for still : to pull up tent pins, to start on a journey, to blow, make to go forward, march. Here standing still means to get to moving. How is that? 

Then I had a personal light bulb moment. We stand still in trying to figure out our "rock and hard place" moments but we continue moving forward in faith that God will bring relief for us.  Stand still in our own efforts but move forward in faith.

There are times when we have to stop spinning our wheels and do like The Message version of the Bible says:

"Don’t be afraid.

Stand firm

and watch God do his work of salvation for you today.

Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again."

That's a lot of action going on for the children of Israel who were commanded to stand still. As they stood still (remember one of the definitions for still is blow). Verse 21 says "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split." God blew those waters back as they were STANDING STILL.

You may be standing at the edge of your own Red Sea today. I know I am. Hemmed in by mountains on one side. A sea before you and enemies hot on your heels. Might God be telling you to stand still as well? 

Stand still and take your hands off of whatever you are trying to fix and build up.  Stand still from plotting and planning. Stand still and stop trying to figure it all out on your own. Then take a good look whatever is acting as an enemy in your life today for you’re never going to see them again. Surrender and stand still but keep moving forward in your faith!