JUST STAND
Today's reading: Exodus 13-14, Matthew 18:21-35, Psalm 27

"But Moses told the people, Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!" Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

Have you heard of the game, 'Would You Rather...'?

It's a conversation starter/ice breaker kind of game where the players are provided ideas or options and the person who is 'it' chooses their preference.

It can be a choice between two good things, for example, 'Would you rather eat chocolate cake or cherry pie?', or two harder choices like, 'Would you rather spend 10 more minutes with a loved one who has passed on or spend 10 minutes talking with a famous Bible person (not Jesus)?'

The game is full of interesting topics, hard choices and leads to some very interesting conversations.

Today's reading reminded me of the game.

It presented me with a couple questions...

Would I rather--

-have to fight my way through an epic battle?

-or trust Someone to fight for me?

Would I rather--

-be in the ring?

-or show up and watch the fight? 

Would I rather--

-faithfully do only what's asked of me, no more and no less?

-or exhaust myself attempting to accomplish all I think I need to do to live a good life?

The Israelites were asked to 'just stand' and watch God fight for them.

Just stand.

Oh, I'm sure some of them wanted to fight Pharaoh's army. They were eyeing their goods looking for things that would work as weapons. Some wanted to swim across the Red Sea in an effort to get away. Some wanted to tear the hem of their robe, tie it on a stick and wave a white flag in defeat.

But all God asked of them was to stand--to stand and watch what He was about to do.

So this morning, would you rather continue doing all the exhausting things you're doing in an attempt to be the very best Christian ever, to fight the good fight, to run the race, to spend hours in your prayer closet, to join every ministry committee, to attend every Bible study, to bake a cake for every potluck, to greet every person in the sanctuary, to know every verse for every opportunity--or just stand in obedience and watch Him work in your life?

Which would you rather?