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

God's attention deficit children ...

So many of our times together we spend time in prayer. During one of these times, I noticed how difficult it was for so many of us to focus. I could just sense the distractions in so many people. I noticed that the main problem with this prayer exercise was that I didn’t give us all a time to slow ourselves down and focus. I believe that if I had taken the time to allow us all to go off to our secret quiet place, it would have been so much easier to stay focused on praying for those we were praying for. We prayed for our boys and talked about interceding for others. I truly believe that even though we may not be completely on task, God is still hearing the prayers of us, his attention deficit children.

Do you have this problem on a daily basis? This problem where you can’t fully sit and be in God’s presence? Remember to just sit and be with God for a while, and allow his peace to come into your life. I want to leave you with the quote that I mentioned earlier in this spiritual journey.

A Prayer by Henri Nouwen
Why, O Lord, is it so hard for me to keep my heart directed toward you? Why do the many little things I want to do, and the many people I know, keep crowding into my mind, even during the hours I am totally free to be with you and you alone? Why does my mind wander off in so many directions, and why does my heart desire the things that lead me astray? Are you not enough for me? Do I keep doubting your love and care, your mercy and grace? Do I keep wondering, in the center of my being, whether you will give me all I need if I just keep my eyes on you?

Please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritation, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusion, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil. All I can do is show myself to you. Yet, I am afraid to do so. I am afraid that you will reject me. But I know--with the knowledge of faith--you desire to give me your love. The only thing you ask of me is not to hide from you, not to run away in despair, not to act as if you were a relentless despot.

Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and give me rest, simple quiet rest. Do I ask too much too soon? I should not worry about that. You will let me know. Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Amen

Thanks!

Jason

Be still my soul ...

Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change God faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future, as in ages past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow for forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Text: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752;
trans. by Jane Borthwick, 1855 (Ps. 46:10)
Music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. from The Hymnal, 1933

Jason

Perfect peace ...

Jason directs our thoughts today:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:3-4

Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God.

Do this! Do that! Be over here at this time, wearing this, juggling that, while you are whistling this tune and standing on your head! The demands of life can be so overwhelming sometimes. They aren’t always this crazy. I do not believe we have to let it get to that point. We have great intentions of doing our best and then one thing is added to our pile and one more and then something bad happens that adds to our time and so on an so on. I know you feel it. I know you are feeling it right now.

Do you feel this way? I am going to write this quote down from Max Lucado and leave you for the day to dwell on this thought.

“Who is the active one? Who is in charge? The shepherd. The shepherd selects the trail and prepares the pasture. The sheep’s job—our job—is to watch the shepherd. With our eyes on our Shepherd, we’ll be able to get some sleep. ‘You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You!’”

Find you a quiet place and just keep singing this song over and over to yourself and allow His peace to settle on your heart!

Be STILL and know that I am God,
Be STILL and know that I am God,
Be STILL and know that I am God.

Blessings for Peace!

Jason