Lord, I must avoid at all times the danger of distraction. What do I do when the earth changes, the mountains shake, and the ocean roars and swells? (Psalm 46:2–3). I am to “be still, and know that [God is] God” (v. 10, KJV). Sometimes my little kingdom totters, my family convulses, and my mind staggers to the edge. Then I must be still and know that God is God. My refuge must always be God, my rock, my defense, and my fortress.
I must avoid running to Egypt for help. This is what Israel did when confronted by a fearsome foe (Isaiah 30:1–2). The trouble with running to Egypt is that it is a “little help,” and a little help can become a wholesale disaster. It is better to trust the Lord fully and be completely delivered than to trust Egypt and be partially delivered (vv. 12–13). Egypt was an illusion, a paper tiger, a tree inwardly eaten of grubs. She looked formidable, but her looks were deceiving. She had glamour but no strength. If Israel (or I) trusts in Egypt, it will be shame, and … confusion” (v. 3, KJV).
How often in my desperation have I looked to a person of wealth, of wisdom, of maturity and experience and said, “You are my deliverer,” only to discover the wealth, wisdom, and maturity were cold ashes. There was no help whatever! I was driven in humiliation back to the source of my strength and wisdom, back to God Himself and the everlasting arms.
It is not a sin to have an Egypt (after all, I am human) but it is certainly a sin to rest my weight upon Egypt, to rely upon it, rather than upon my God. To “be still” means to “relax,” but I must relax on the solid rock, not the shifting sands of an ephemeral, passing trust. I love Nahum’s word on this: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge [trust] in Him” (Nahum 1:7).
“To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in Thee I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me” (Psalm 25:1–2).
Daily with the King 