“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14
It has been said that “Do Not Be Afraid” or “Fear Not” is stated in the Bible 365 times, one for each day of the year. I’ve not counted these statements myself but wouldn’t it be ironic if it is true? We need to hear every day not to be afraid.
In this verse from Exodus, the Hebrews were trapped by the Red Sea with the Egyptian army bearing down on them. They even asked Moses why he brought them out into the desert to die. “Were there not enough graves in Egypt?” While they had good reason to be afraid, God had said to Moses to “stand firm…be still” so everyone would see the deliverance He was going to bring about for them. I still have the visual in my head of Charleton Heston as Moses, in the “Ten Commandments” raising his staff over the sea and the waters parting. Not nearly the special effects of movies today but still very powerful. A dry path opened in the sea so the Hebrews were able to escape to safety. When the Egyptians tried to follow them, they all perished as the waters rushed over them. The people danced and sang praises when they realized that their enemies were gone. God had miraculously delivered them.
I can recall numerous times over my lifetime that I felt backed up to the Red Sea with nowhere to go. God has delivered me over and over. Doors have opened, opportunities appeared and money has come from unexpected places just when I needed it. Sometimes even in rotten situations, I have seen great good come out of it.
I broke my leg in 2 places in 2009 while dirt bike riding. Not surprising, I know! It happened at Red Bird Riding Area in western Indiana. I’m pretty stubborn and I didn’t want to go to a hospital there so I insisted that my husband drive me 2 hours back home. Thank goodness for 800 mg of Ibuprofen that was in the truck! We went to Carmel St. Vincent ER and Dr. Mindrebo happened to be on call for the orthopedic surgeons that day. I had never met Norm, probably because I didn’t care any longer for patients in the hospital as I had earlier in my medical career. He took awesome care of me and my leg is back to normal (except for the titanium rod down the center of my tibia). This all happened in the fall of 2009 and on January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. It devastated much of the country. The St. Vincent Physician’s Outreach Network immediately prepared to send doctors and supplies to help. I was still too laid up with my leg to go and they really needed surgeons, especially orthopedic surgeons. So I called up Norm Mindrebo and asked if he would consider going to Haiti with the group. He told me that he had never been on a medical mission trip before but he would think about it. The next day, he called me back to tell me that both he and his wife, Peggy, would like to go. The group from St. Vincent went to Haiti the week following the earthquake and did amazing things. Many Haitians were given back their health through these doctors and the effort of many others who came to their aide.
God works in mysterious ways. I have since said that I had to break my leg to meet the Mindrebo’s just in time to ask Norm to help the Haitian people after the earthquake. I don’t believe this was just a coincidence and neither do they. God uses everything for His purposes, even broken legs. I have to remind myself of this truth and trust Him in all things even when the situation looks bleak.
Stand firm. Be still. Watch the Lord deliver you today.
