A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers   

Exodus 14:13, “And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.’” Bruce Larson, in his book Wind and Fire, tells of how he once almost drowned in the Gulf of Mexico, during a storm. He had left his boat to take a swim when a sudden storm arose that pushed his boat far from him. Larson said he could remember saying, “Well, this is it.” He observed, “The waves were seven or eight feet high, and the sky was dark with gale force winds and lightning. I was drifting out to sea when the Word of the Lord came to me and saved my life. What I thought He said was, ‘I’m here, Larson, and you’re not coming home [to heaven] as soon as you think. Can you tread water?’” Larson continued, “Somehow that had never occurred to me. Had I continued my frantic efforts to swim back to shore, I would have exhausted my strength and gone down.” Herein we find a precious truth. There are times when we find ourselves in dire straits and then make matters worse by our frantic efforts; when all the while, God is saying to us, “Can you tread water?” That is, “Can you stand still and wait on my deliverance?” Notice our Scripture lesson today. After the exodus from Egypt was accomplished by God’s miraculous power, the children of Israel found themselves with the Red Sea in front of them, the oncoming Egyptian army behind them, and mountainous walls to the left and right (Exodus 14:2). Panic began to ensue in their ranks (Exodus 14:11, 12). The word from the Lord was direct, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” If they had presumptuously ran into the sea, they would have drowned. If they had turned back, they would have been annihilated by Pharaoh’s army. Instead, as they obeyed the Lord, and stood in their present position, they experienced an incredible deliverance as God rolled back the Red Sea and they went across on “dry ground” (Exodus 14:29). Listen friend, do you find yourself being overcome by difficulties that threaten to pull you under the waves of defeat? God’s word for you today is, “Stand still; do not fear; see His salvation.” Allow Him to bring about His deliverance in His time. In doing so, He can bring you out of a tempest of despair, into the deliverance that comes, with His new day.