Be Still

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.” I don’t know about you, but being still is so very difficult for me personally.  The very idea of waiting, being still, patient, and ceasing  to do is quite a challenge. And, as we find ourselves more isolated and distant from others while adapting to virtual ministry because of the Coronavirus, this idea of “being still” becomes more difficult.

But could God be getting our attention? Could He be stripping away the business of our lives along with the noise and clamour to draw us back to Himself. It is certainly in these difficult times that we begin to evaluate our lives: personally, relationally, physically, financially, and (especially) spiritually.

I’m reminded of a great story and lesson on being still that’s found in the Old Testament in the book of  Exodus, chapter 14.  God’s people had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years when God chose Moses to confront Pharaoh and demanded that he let God’s people go. After a supernatural showdown between God and the gods of Egypt, the 10th plague forced Pharoah to relent and send his indebted servants free to wander in the desert.   And, as God was leading His children, He led them intentionally into a cul-de-sac; a dead-end road. There was a massive Egyptian stone fortress to the north, a wide-open blazing desert to the south, Egypt itself due west, and they were staring at the Red Sea to the East. As Pharaoh noticed God’s people seemed to be running in a circle, helplessly stuck, he and his army of chariots pursued them in a full attack. 

As God’s people began to cry out to God, Moses told them, “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (13-14). God had clearly brought them to this place of being still and stuck to teach them four things: Do not fear, watch for God’s deliverance, know that God will FIGHT for you, and BE STILL.  

Perhaps you feel like you have found yourself at a dead end road or wandering the desert, or perhaps an army of fear, worry, doubt, and despair is charging after you.  

Be still!

Recently, I was alone with the Lord on a walk when I sat down on a rock in a quiet place. The birds were singing loudly and the rain drops began falling around me when God quietly spoke to me a favorite Psalm: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Take a moment to quiet your heart and be still. Ask God to reveal, remove, and restore what he lays on your heart. Allow God to lead you, deliver you, fight for you, and speak to you as you wait on the Lord.