Life Verses: Exodus 14:14 (2024)

Friends, this is the first verse that has ever come up in my “life verses” that I tried to run from and flat out deny. In fact, when it first started to appear to me EVERYWHERE, I remember telling the Lord I’d consider it but I just really didn’t think it was the direction my word of the year, “rest”, was going to take in 2024. 

Here’s the truth, I didn’t want Exodus 14:14 to apply to my life. I had already decided I was going to lovingly (and peacefully) lean into Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God” during my year because that seemed like a restful way to grow at the feet of Jesus. Then here comes the Father sending me a verse that was anything but peaceful. 

Exodus 14:14 states, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 

If you’ve heard me talk about my word of the year then you know that I was not in the mood to fight anything at the end of 2023. My life was heading right where I thought it should and seemed to be blossoming under my new found expectations in the Lord so I didn’t want a battle. I wanted, well, rest… wasn’t that my word?!? But as I headed towards 2024 and reality, I recognized that a battle would ensue whether I wanted it or not so I could either meet it head on OR I could run from it for as long as possible, only to still have to face it but exhausted and unarmed. 

For once in my stubborn, independent streak, I chose God’s way and even conceded that there was no stinking way I could fight this battle or at least not the one I saw looming. So, I asked the Lord to teach me the reality of this verse and this is what I’d call a trial by baptism… a learning to fly on the way down… 

“The Lord will fight for you…”

Common sense tells you that if the Lord has to fight for you then there’s a battle. Like, duh! This was what put me off from the very beginning. I even looked up this verse in a variety of translations hoping for a more favorable option… nope, always a battle. Here’s something that I didn’t consider until well into my little lesson of 2024 but battles rarely occur outside of a war. Like most wars have multiple battles and that turned out to be true in my life, I just didn’t recognize it then. 

The comfort of this verse is that the Lord is offering to fight for you. He’s not saying He’ll step in as a second if you get knocked down or He may show up if it gets bad enough. No, He will fight for you. That can be such a relief if we can ever step back long enough and stop trying to control it all. 

For me, the initial “battle” was such a hot mess and so far out of my control that stepping back seemed like the only sensible option. Truthfully, I only had to decide when to step back and I think the Lord allowed this battle early on so I could truly appreciate His command and power over my life. This allowed me to relinquish control over other areas that perhaps in an earlier day I would have thought I could still control. 

“...you need only be still.”

Here’s where my true trouble came into the picture. To be still or rest in the midst of a chaotic battle seemed nearly impossible for me at the beginning. I’m a planner, a doer, a list maker. I like to feel like I’m working towards a solution to any and all problems that may pop up their little heads, including problems that may not, which is something I’m learning to let go of but here I was being asked to not only let the Lord fight but to trust that He was and to sit back and calmly wait. 

In the past when I have left things in the Lord’s hands, I have tried to check back in as it were, you know, get a progress report, see what’s changed but this time I knew that wouldn’t be an option BUT I also knew that for me to surrender that desire would require a God-sized movement in my heart as well. So, I did what I’ve come to see as my battle strategy for any and all problems.

I clothed every word, action, thought and emotion in prayer. Prayers for peace, prayers for discernment, prayers for wisdom, prayers for words. And I let go. Have I tried to get an answer or two from God? Yes, sometimes He’s provided the reassurance I so desperately sought and sometimes His answer has been, “Don’t you trust Me?”. After decades of learning and growing through my relationship with Him I can say “yes” without hesitation though we all stumble at times. 

Here’s another funny thing that came from my verse in 2024. As I was looking for an alternate translation, hoping against hope that there was another option, I found the Message translation which I must admit isn’t my typical go to…

“God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

This became a great piece of advice and a reminder that blossomed as my year went on. Yes, I needed to keep my mouth shut in the beginning because pride, anger, deception and hurt feelings made me want to “give a piece of my mind” but that would not have been kind to anyone or honoring to God. As the year went on and opportunities to take back personal control presented themselves, I recognized my need to ask God for His wisdom on when to speak and what to say. After all, I can only see about 1/50th of all the Lord is currently orchestrating in my life and in others. I’d hate to let one moment of foolishness or emotional outburst to be a regret for ages. So, this woman of many, many words learned to sit back and wait to speak. In some ways I’m still waiting and I’m okay with that because I know who is fighting for me (Exodus 14:14) and I have confident expectations in all He has planned (MIcah 7:7). Funny how that’s worked out, huh?