“But Moses answered the people, ‘Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today… The Lord himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.'” -Exodus 14:13-14

I don’t know about you, but I’m always trying to fight my own battles and claim my own victories, even in the spiritual life. Much like the Israelites in the Old Testament, I have my own ideas of how I think things should be and how they should play out. When faced with a seemingly insurmountable “Red Sea” in front of me and “angry Egyptians” behind me (whatever they happen to be that day), I panic and worry. “How is this going to end well, God?” But where is my faith in these moments? We have a God who not only cares about us, but who fights for us! We have to get better about letting Him. We don’t have as much control over our battles as we think anyway, whether they’re personal, spiritual, physical, or otherwise. God will call us to walk straight into the Red Seas of our lives everyday. We have to trust that as we do walk forward in humble faith, He WILL raise the waters and guide us through by HIS grace, not by our own ability. Oh, but letting go of control is so hard for us (ME)! Let’s make it our prayer today to consciously surrender the outcomes of our “battles” to Our Lord, who alone has the power to see them through. Pray with me: “Lord, I can’t see what’s on the other side of all this, but I surrender it to You. I want control, but Jesus, I want Your peace more. I give to You everything weighing on my heart right now. I give You control over every part of my life, and I let go of my desired outcomes. With Your help, I will keep walking forward, no matter how loud the voices behind me or how high the waters before me. I will hold my heart still in Your presence. I do not need to fear, because I’ve placed it in Your hands. Please remind me everyday that You are with me always. Amen.”