Journey into Lightl pep

What Does It Look Like to Be Still?

A big part of being still before God is to allow him to guide and use his power to quiet the noise within us. This includes our fears and frustrations, not for us to continue to act like we are alone and have no help. He promises to help us with every problem we face if we trust and ask him for help. God and others have a part to play in helping us to quiet our fears and hurts and come up with solutions to our difficulties. I am currently discovering again how important other Christians are to me to stay in the fight and not give in to discouragement and fear.

It sometimes takes years for us to reasonably accept the degree of our helplessness to live the Christian life in our own strength. I find as I get older, I am growing in my dependence in God to get me through a day. My time with God is not just a brief time in the morning doing devotions but interacting with him and resolving problems together throughout the day.

Jesus gives us his peace as a gift of living in his power. It is an absence of conflict, a sense of well- being, a state of wholeness and inner tranquility that persists even in trouble. Our hearts are not fearful as we trust in the Lord’s protection and safety.

I have been recently striving for a blood pressure that is not too high or too low. It was too low last month, so, I reduced the medication and then it went too high. So, my cardiologist and I are trying to find the right level of medication. And then my wife reminded me today that God is the one who keeps me safe and to look to him to keep me safe and to use medication as only one of the ways he keeps me safe.

I am trusting that though I don’t control the circumstances that make me safe, God does and will keep his promises to help me. We will have an absence of worry and being upset by focusing on God’s priorities and a strong sense of direction and doing the important things in life (Luke 10:41, 42).

Why is that Important?

God says to us, “Be still and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10, NLT)

This statement implies that if we are not careful, we can live as if we and only we are responsible for resolving our problems. But this is ridiculous because life is often more than we can handle with the brains, energy, and the human strength we have been given and need to look up to God for his additional help. But this is scary because we often fear he may not come through for us, even if he specifically promises he will.

He promises us in Isaah 41:10 that he will always be with us to help, strengthen, and uphold us in everything we do. So, what’s the problem?

We don’t trust that He will. So, we worry, despair, and look for other ways to solve our problems rather than depend on God to help us. This saddens God for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV). But the good news is that he only requires a mustard seed of faith and he will move mountains through our prayers.

We need to stop striving, cease worrying, and surrender control to God. Quiet the mind, trust his sovereignty rather than strive to resolve all our problems by ourselves. Because God offers himself as a refuge, we don’t need to fear. He is always on alert to protect us and watch out for our good. “The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever,” (Psalm 121: 8 NLT).

How to be Still Before God?

Psalm 121:1-2 says” My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and the earth.” We need to keep in mind who always helps us. He is God Almighty, who promises to always help us.

Proverbs tells us that God’s wisdom “will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying (Proverbs 3:17, NLT).  All his paths are peace. When we experience peace, we are usually doing God’s will.

God promises in 1 Peter 5:7 to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I was heavy-hearted trying to find a godly wife over a 10-year period. I finally found a pretty one. Good personality, fun, and wholesome. However, I feared rejection because of her attractiveness So, I choked and did not pursue her and let her slip way. This really made me feel hopeless about finding a good wife. Even an attractive one was not right for me because I lacked confidence to take a chance on getting rejected.

So, as I considered my future seeking a wife, I was challenged to give up chasing girls for a couple of years, trust God to provide the right girl at the right time, grow as a Christian and let God provide her in his time. And he did! 5 years later. And she was worth waiting for. Many times, since then I have thanked the Lord from the bottom of my heart for all the ways she has blessed me with affection, wisdom, encouragement, fun-loving, companionship and enjoyment. Far better than I could have done by picking her without God’s help.

A man I have been mentoring for thirty years asked me recently how I have managed to follow God so long and not have quit the race. I told him to have a deep love and recognition for the Lord and how he rewards us for staying the course. To remember that God deserves our deepest respect and love. “Even Though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the field, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation (Hab. 3:17, 18, NLT). The setbacks we experience living the life he has given us is still worth enduring as we keep our eyes on the great God we relate to and serve each day and don’t “cut and run” to get a better deal with an idol.

He works in our hearts so that we can receive his love and calm all our fears (Zephaniah 3:17) as we focus on his presence and expect his help.” You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you?” (Isaiah 26:3, NLT) When have you experienced the peace that God promises by focusing and depending on him? What was it like?