Standing on Grace

Exodus 14:13-14 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. The LORD will fight xfor you, and you can be still.”

So far this month we have consider running and walking with God as disciples of Christ.  This week we will look at what the bible says about standing. Richard St. Barbe Baker a biologist, botanist and member of the Bahá'í Faith, said, “Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven. And learn tranquility.”

Standing firm as a disciple of Jesus should not be equated with lack of movement or idle passing of time but as part of what it means to be centred in Christ.

When there’s an earthquake, big buildings sometimes collapse while other buildings stand firm. They go through identical tremors but the response is quite different. We talk about standing firm because we should make sure that when the inevitable tremors of life come our way, our faith does not collapse — that it should stand firm at that time.

We perhaps should ask, “What is it that we stand for?”

The word standing is really a “sort-of” noun, not a verb such as “stand up” or “sit down”. As a Christian, at this moment we are standing in God’s grace, yet we are probably seated. Our “standing” refers more to our relationship to something or someone rather than our physical position or posture. This is why Moses says to his people and perhaps to us, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today:

Heavenly Father, when the storms of life are raging, when my enemies seem to multiply with every passing day and there seems to be no way to turn, help me to be still, knowing that You are God. Help me to stand in quiet dependence upon You. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, to abide in His love, and to trust His Word. I know that Your grace is sufficient for every occasion and that You have promised never to leave me nor forsake me. Help me to stand still and see the salvation of my God today. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.