The Restoration Series: Beauty from Ashes

 

Session Eight: Rest that Is Unafraid of Stillness

Based on Exodus 14:13–14

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I. Rest in the Middle of Threat

Israel is trapped.

The sea is in front of them.
The army is behind them.
Movement feels urgent.

Moses speaks an unexpected word.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

Rest here is not safety.
It is trust under pressure.

Stillness becomes the most faithful response.

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II. Why Stillness Feels Dangerous

Stillness removes the illusion of control.

It exposes fear.
It resists panic.
It refuses frantic action.

Henri Nouwen wrote,

“Silence is the discipline by which we keep interior space free.”

Rest grows where silence is not treated as failure.

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III. God Acting While We Remain Still

God does not wait for Israel to solve the problem.

He acts while they stand.

The sea opens only after stillness is chosen.

Thomas Merton observed,

“We are not meant to resolve everything by ourselves.”

Rest trusts that God moves even when we do not.

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IV. Rest That Precedes Deliverance

Rest does not follow rescue here.
It comes before it.

This reverses our instinct.

Dallas Willard reminds us,

“Faith is not opposed to action, but to anxiety-driven action.”

Stillness separates obedience from panic.

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V. Learning to Remain Still Under Pressure

Stillness must be practiced.

It is not passive.
It is disciplined trust.

Brennan Manning once said,

“The greatest enemy of faith is fear disguised as urgency.”

Rest matures where urgency no longer commands.

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Practicing Rest that Is Unafraid of Stillness

❀ Notice where urgency is driving your decisions.
Pay attention to moments where speed feels necessary to feel safe. Rest begins by questioning that impulse.

❀ Practice stopping when fear is loud.
Choose stillness as an act of trust rather than avoidance. Let God move without your intervention.

❀ Release the need to explain your pause.
Stillness does not require justification. Rest deepens when you stop narrating it.

❀ Trust God’s activity beyond your visibility.
Believe that movement can occur without your participation.

❀ Remain present until direction is clear.
Rest keeps you grounded until the path opens naturally.