“For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.” – Isaiah 30:7

When our four sons were young, I learned to cut their hair because we could not afford to take them to the barber. During those haircutting sessions, I often had to remind them to sit still. Yet, it seemed that the more I reminded them, the more they wiggled! To wiggle was to risk an obvious spot of bare scalp in the wrong place; thus, eventually they learned that sitting still was a good thing to do.  

Sometimes “sitting still” is necessary in our spiritual lives. When we pray, it can be tempting to try to help God bring about the results, but that is not always what God wants us to do. For example, I have a family member who is very dear to my heart, and I long to see him saved. I keep thinking I must tell him this or that in an effort to persuade him to surrender his heart to the Lord. My efforts are an attempt to help God get it done now! Then I am reminded that we do have a part to play in God’s work, and frequently that part is to simply sit still and pray.  

In our focus verse, Isaiah warned the Children of Israel that putting their trust in the strength of the Egyptian army to fight their battles was not what God had intended for His people. God instructed the prophet to remind the people they should “sit still” and see God fight their battle.  

Many years before this time, when the Children of Israel fled Egypt, they became afraid as the well-armed Egyptians began to pursue them. Militarily, the Israelites were no match for that army, but God had told Moses to instruct them to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13).

We cannot trust our own strength or resources to win spiritual battles. We must put our trust in the Lord, and sometimes that means sitting still. Many of us have jobs that pay for our housing, transportation, food, and other daily needs. If that income were to be cut off, would we panic? Or, would we look to God for our help? Perhaps we are facing physical or emotional challenges. God has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us. When every other strength fails, we can safely sit still and wait on Him. He hears our prayers, knows our needs, and carries our burdens. He loved us enough to give His own Son; He will also provide for us and answer our prayers.