Keeping The Faith

CORE PRACTICE #60: Rest in the assurance that God, who promises never to leave or forsake you, knows what’s ahead for your family.

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” —Exodus 14:13-14

TONY

October 6, 2003 was a night I’ll never forget. I was coaching the Indianapolis Colts, and we were playing the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football—on my birthday! To add to the drama, the Bucs had fired me before the previous season, and this would be the first time I would be back in the stadium where I had coached for so long. But now we were the opposition and the Bucs had a great team, led by the number-one ranked defense in the NFL.

The game obviously meant a lot to me personally. Lauren and the kids would be in the stands cheering as loud as they could, but it was going to be a huge challenge. I prayed that our team would play its best and that we could come out with a victory. I had faith that God would answer. However, as the game developed, it became harder to maintain that faith. We quickly fell behind 21–0, and nothing went right for us early on. In the second half we played a little better, but with less than five minutes to play, we still trailed by twenty-one points. At that moment, things appeared hopeless.

I think I felt a little of what Moses must have been feeling, standing on the banks of the Red Sea after leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses knew God would sustain him and the Israelites. No doubt many times before, Moses had silently pondered the truth that he would eventually say to the Israelites: “The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (Exodus 14:14).

After all, Moses had seen God act in mighty ways from the time He selected him to deliver His people from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh to that very day when Moses led them out of Egypt into the desert, heading toward the Promised Land. But now, just as they arrived at the shore of the Red Sea, they faced a new danger—one that threatened their very lives. Their path forward was blocked by the sea, and all they could see behind them was Pharaoh’s army and chariots in full pursuit. No wonder the Israelites lost heart. They were stuck between their past and the deep waters ahead. Now what?

Amid this frantic situation, Moses had to deal with the Israelites complaining. Naturally, they were worried. Having reached the end of his own wisdom, ability, and expertise, Moses determined to focus on the God whom he trusted.

So Moses told the people to trust God. “The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” And something occurred that no one expected. After hearing from God, Moses stretched out his hand and staff—and God parted the waters of the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk to safety.

The Red Sea didn’t open up for the Colts in Tampa that night, but a miracle did happen—something that had never been done before in the history of the NFL. We scored three touchdowns in the last four and a half minutes to tie the game. We then kicked a field goal in overtime to complete the comeback victory.

We have all found ourselves standing on the shore of a “Red Sea” with threatening circumstances all around us. We’ve all faced what appear to be insurmountable obstacles and challenges, knowing we’ve reached the limits of our own wisdom, ability, and expertise.

In such moments, we need to remember that God is still there. We can stay calm, even when we don’t have it all figured out or under control, remembering that the Lord will continue to fight for us. As we were in the locker room after the game, that’s what we were thinking—What a remarkable thing the Lord has done tonight!

Adventure Application: What are you facing that you can’t seem to see through or over or around into the next day? Remember that God hasn’t gone anywhere; He will continue to fight for you as you wonder and stand ready to move ahead. What can you do today to keep that truth in mind—and just stay calm?