Be Still

​It has taken me years to understand what it means to let God fight my battles and to stand still as described in Exodus 14:14. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The best experience I had with this was 3 months after I moved from Sandpoint to Coeur d’Alene. I moved into a cute little senior cottage, and it didn’t take long for me to realize my neighbor next 

Susie Olson

​door was a smoker as the 2nd hand smoke poured into my unit from the overhead ventilation system. It was mildly annoying but not enough to make a fuss about.

But then…I realized she was also not a “friendly” person, so to speak. She started opening her door and watching me park in the stall next to hers (just in case I got too close to her car, I guess). One day she flew out of her unit to advise me it was my fault that she hit the beam next to her stall because I parked too close to the line. Needless to say, I also noticed her glasses were two inches thick. As she got nastier and more unpleasant in the coming days/weeks, I became miserable with my choice of moving. After all, she had been there for 16 years and reminded me repeatedly that she had seniority. Over what, I’m not sure.

One night I was so upset I cried to God and unloaded just how angry and sad I was about the situation. After I was somewhat calm, I felt the Holy Spirit remind my heart that He would fight my battles. So, I begged Him to take these circumstances and offer me some kind of an open door or resolution.

Well … I’m not exactly certain how many days later (under a week for sure), I was up in Sandpoint having lunch with my brother, and I received a phone call. “Is this Susan Olson?” “Yes”. “Do you live in Unit 21 and are you home right now?” “Yes, I do, and no, I’m not”. The officer then told me NOT to come home for a while as they were arresting the man in the unit next door.
 
He did not tell me what unit or any other information. On the heels of that call, the property manager called me five minutes later and said they were trying to complete an inspection in the unit that the smokers were in, and a nephew, who also lived there, had pulled a knife on the maintenance man!
 
Apparently, the SWAT team had to show up and surround the units as he barricaded himself in! They were evicted and out 30 days later. I like to believe that God sent me that SWAT team and the victory was His. “Being still” does not mean being lazy or passive but choosing faith over fear and frustration. Sometimes I just need to remember “being still” is better than depending on my own competence to struggle.
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God, the battle is Yours, and I will do my best to stay out of Your way as You fight on my behalf.
 
With His blessing,
Susie