When you feel trapped or overwhelmed, how can remembering how the Lord delivered the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt and from the Pharaoh's army strengthen your faith that “the Lord shall fight for you”?
"13 ¶ And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:13–14)
"2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea." (1 Nephi 4:2)
"19 Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them." (Mosiah 7:19)
"28 And I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever, for he has brought our fathers out of Egypt, and he has swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea; and he led them by his power into the promised land; yea, and he has delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time to time." (Alma 36:28)
"13 ¶ And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." (Exodus 14:13, 30)
And here's the introductory commentary for this week's reading assignment: "April 13–19: “Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord” Exodus 14–18" :
"The Israelites were trapped. The Red Sea was on one side, and the army of Pharaoh was advancing on the other. Their escape from Egypt, it seemed, would be short lived. But God had a message for the Israelites that He wanted them to remember for generations: “Fear ye not. … The Lord shall fight for you” (Exodus 14:13–14).
Since that time, when God’s people have needed faith and courage, they have told this story. When Nephi wanted to inspire his brothers, he said, “Let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground” (1 Nephi 4:2). When King Limhi wanted his captive people to “lift up [their] heads, and rejoice,” he reminded them of this same story (Mosiah 7:19). So did Alma, when he wanted to testify to his son of God’s power (see Alma 36:28). And when we feel trapped—when we need a little more faith to “see the salvation of the Lord”—we can remember how “the Lord saved Israel that day” (Exodus 14:13, 30)."
Remembering how the Lord delivered the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt and from the Pharaoh's army does strengthen my faith that “the Lord shall fight for me”. If He did save His people long ago, He is also saving His people now. I am one of His people, so He is saving me—He is fighting for me. He is guiding me and leading me as I journey through the wilderness so that I can reach the Red Sea, break through it, and then get to the promised land where I have more freedom to worship and serve Him more than ever before.
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