Keeping silent

The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14

The Isralites were terrified when they saw Pharaoh's armies pursuing them in the wilderness. They cried out to the Lord and asked why He took him to die in the wilderness, and It was better for them to serve the Egyptian than die in the wilderness. 

Moses soon calmed the grumbling crowd by telling them not to be afraid, to stand still, and to see the salvation of the Lord, and then to hold their peace which means to keep silent in Hebrew.  חָרַשׁ

In the midst of fear, we may literally cry out like Isralite by complaining, and this can occur in our everyday lives as well. Whenever we encounter fearful situations, our tongue may not hold our peace and utter words we shouldn't. Our tongue is like fire and can be set on fire by hell (James 3:6), our tongue is one of Satan's favorite devices for flaming the fire of iniquity.

As God instructs us, hold your peace and not just to keep quiet so that we don't sin, but rather to remain in a calm spirit so that we appeal to God powerfully for deliverance from our troubles. It comes from a deep trust in God, because we know God the truth: God will fight for us. 

When facing fearful trials and distress, may the Holy Spirit help us press the mute button so that we don't sin against God with our mouth, but can take refuge in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He is our deliverer. 

Blessing prayer: May the Holy Spirit strengthen our feeble knees so we can stand still and keep watch over our lips so we can hold our peace. God, give us the steadfast spirit to know you are fighting our battles and you have already won! In Jesus’ name, Amen.