Only be still ...

Today’s devotional thought is from Angela:

It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat...

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?...

O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” ...

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”

2 Chronicles 20:1,5,6,12,14-17 (NKJV)

I don’t sit still very well. Even while watching a movie at home with Daniel, my mind and my hands seem to find something to do. There’s always paperwork to finish, a splinter to help pull out, a pencil stuck in the over-heating dryer…again! But sometimes the will, energy, and power “to do” is stripped away, and we, largely based on our choice of response, can be left feeling either terrified, divinely serene, or maybe a little bit of both. Not a pleasant learning experience for most of us humans.

Early one morning before school, one of our boys was feeling and loudly vocalizing his anger, his defiance, and his hurt. My daughter was tired, scared by that morning’s chaos, and in need of more attention than I had the energy to give. My husband was very upset with our boy’s poor attitude, my baby hadn’t slept well, and I was desperately trying to keep a hold of some form of control for everyone’s sake. Yet it was all crumbling and blowing away as my tired and hurting family walked out the door. I tried to read the morning’s devotional after they left, but the words weren't making sense in my cluttered brain. I tried to clean my house and organize the day, but all of it…the dirt, the clutter, the schedules…only made me feel more alone and defeated.

I wandered my eerily quiet house feeling outraged, sad, fearful, tired, overwhelmed, aggressive, and ready to fight for peace to return to my home. My back was hurting so I gave up and sat down on the couch. I didn’t really verbally pray because I was too confused to form a thought. I didn’t sing because the tears were too close to brave going that deep within. I sat. I didn’t fix. I didn’t plan. I didn’t run. I didn’t attack. I sat…I felt…and I trembled, realizing God was present; reading, hearing, and soothing all I was feeling. And it was wonderful to be crippled in His arms while His Spirit voiced it all. I felt so free, overwhelmed by passion for those I love while at the same time experiencing mind-blowing peace not “doing” a thing to protect them or fix their wounds.

Hours later, my daughter came home from school joyful, excited, and safe. My baby was her usual sweet self throughout the day. Later that evening, my husband and our boy resolved their issue in about 5 minutes. It’s amazing what God can mend when we don’t snag the process with our own forced presence or perceptions. It’s humbling how much better we can witness His work in the lives of our treasured ones when we, at His bidding, discipline our passion to be still before Him.

Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Blessings,

Angela

Being and doing ...

Being and doing, being and doing. Even though I preach that lesson and long to be in the presence of my Father, I find myself doing more and more. Yesterday in the chaos of the day, and the busyness that we all do not want to have on Sunday, I found myself running around the house cleaning and moving furniture. I couldn’t stop. I was organizing our bedroom, I was folding laundry, I was getting more and more frustrated as the day wore on. This came right after preaching about being and doing. I wanted to sit down all day and just be in the presence of God, but that is so hard when you have this person asking for this, your daughter choosing to never fall asleep for her nap, someone always asking “what’s for snack?”

I know that many of you can feel my pain. I kept saying to myself, if I only have an organized space, I can sit and relax and be with God. I just can’t focus when things are not in order. Some of you may think I am insane, but that is how I get sometimes when I am tired and worn out from the wonderful life that we all live. I am reminded of someone else who had this same problem.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

I know that our world doesn’t always slow down for us to sit and be in God’s presence, but that is when we need to make ourselves slow down. We may feel we need everything perfect in our universe, but that’s not going to happen. Spending time with God is important, so if you need your world ordered for that time, spend some time preparing.

Find yourself a quiet place in your house. Pick a corner of a room that no one seems to come in very often. Find yourself a comfy chair, speak with your spouse and those around you and let them know that there is a time that you will be taking as your quiet “Being” time with God. They should understand, they are hopefully seeking that same time themselves. When and if you create this place, spend some time in silence before you do anything. Let God’s peace come over you. Open your Bible and allow the words to open, break, and reshape your heart.

Silence and Solitude with the Father is slowly but surely becoming a reality for us. We are in this together on our journey, let’s keep each other in our prayers and help each other out to find that peaceful time with God. Happy Being!

Jason