Hold Your Peace
“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
The Israelites had seen the Lord do the impossible- rescue them. And they were good… until they weren’t. The enemy was after them, an impassable way was before them. Destruction was all around them and every option ended in pain and destruction. They were filled with fear. They even blamed Moses and God for freeing them because of the potential for harm by Pharaoh.
Have you been there? Where everything you knew and relied on seemed to be pulled out from under you? Where you were filled with so much fear you were immobile? Where you knew the enemy was after you- both in a spiritual sense and maybe an earthly one? Where it seemed as if there was no safe place? Do you find yourself there now?
Look at what Moses told them as they panicked. “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall HOLD YOUR PEACE.” What does it mean to “hold your peace?” It means don’t let it go- take the steps necessary to not let the fear consume you. Some translations use the wording “you must keep silent.” God is telling the Israelites (and He is telling us) to stop and trust. He intended to rescue them, but He needed them to settle in His promises.
Fear causes us to make impulsive decisions. Fear activates the primal part of our brain. When fear is dominant, the great problem solver and rational thinking part of our brain powers down. While God gave us this to help protect us in moments of real danger, it is not meant to dominate. How do we even start then to hold our peace? Eyes on Jesus.
If you are not certain the Lord is who He says He is, you will maintain responsibility on self-protection, not self-denial as Jesus commands. Read your Bible, read a Christian book, listen to sermons…consume the Lord. Then get godly friends who counter “the sky is falling” fears and guide you back to His truth. Pray, worship, or read the Word out loud. This will take your focus off what is causing the fear and place it on the One Who has the power over life itself.
When fear or anxiety remain dominant after you have taken these steps, reach out. We are here to help.
by Rachel Huff