“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14, NIV
It was pep week at our high school, and the coronation celebration would include the
usual array of gym-floor games. I had agreed to be part of the staff versus the wrestling team tug-of-war, relieved it couldn’t possibly involve dancing.
My colleagues and I took our places. When the tug-of-war began, I quickly realized my first mistake was wearing ballet flats that day. It didn’t take long for the wrestlers to beat us. So to make it even more amusing, the student council granted a rematch.
As we took our same positions, I marveled at (1) my useless footwear and (2) our identical lineup. How could we possibly win when nothing had changed? But then, when we started round two, something miraculous happened. Our rope moved decisively toward us in giant tugs of power. I looked back, awestruck, and then laughed when I realized our government teacher had joined in, easily pulling the staff team to victory.
“Not fair!” the wrestlers shouted good-naturedly.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, do you know what else is not fair? It’s not fair that we
have been given a Savior to take the penalty for our sins, a loving Father who fights for
us, and a Holy Spirit who comforts us. We’ve done nothing to earn any of these
blessings. Yet, our God joins His children in their present-day battles just like he joined
the Israelites long ago. The only response that seems appropriate for this undeserved
grace is to drop the rope, hit our knees, and raise our hands in worship.
Lord, thank you for being on our side and giving grace when none is
merited. May we learn to cease tugging at our problems and wait on Your power. Help us to be still, Father, and let Your will be done each day in our schools, homes, and communities. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Copyright Kristi Shanenko.
Kristi is a current member of Christian Educators and a high school English teacher who lives in North Dakota.
