Many of us will make New Year Resolutions because we want to hit the ground running in the coming year. The truth is there have been many times that we have hit the ground running, but we still have not reached the destination desired. At other times, we made New Year Resolutions but within a few weeks, we forgot what they were. The question is, how many of us have been still before the Lord and have asked Him for direction for the coming year!?
Bb still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46: 10
Definition of Be still: (H 7503) according to Strong’s Concordance: to sink, relax, sink down, let drop, …
In a world that admires and encourages being performance-oriented and goal-driven, it is hard to be still before the Lord. We live in a culture that is very busy, it is easy to feel like a loser if we slow down or not have a plan.
Furthermore, there is a cultural pressure to have an answer to people’s questions about our future plans. Interestingly, the idea of having a plan doesn’t just stop with older adults. We ask the same questions from higher-schoolers or college students expecting them to have concrete answers about what they want to do with their lives. However, if we were really honest some of us, in the middle ages, still aren’t clear about what we are supposed to be doing to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
The truth is that the above verse is written for all of us. Being still is something that we need to include in our journey with God and we continue to go back to. We don’t need to feel pressured to conjure up a plan just so we can look like we have it together.
If we have determined that we want to glorify God in our lives, then it begins with stillness before Him. The above definition of stillness tells us to relax! It is kind of similar to coming home from a day of work and just wanting to relax and unplug. When we are still, we are in a place where we feel safe and secure without a need to put on a front or expect to perform at the moment. It is time to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate.
The Lord wants us to have a resting and relaxing place. He wants us to let down the competitive mentality that we are so accustomed to and just be in His presence. He is a good Father who has times of refreshing for His children. It is in this place that we also get to capture His majesty and leave with the fragrance of His presence and His rest upon us.
This week make time to be still before the Lord. Don’t try to perform for Him. Just be still and relax before Him and Let Him be God in your life and direct your steps!
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
I love this last statement: ‘It is in this place that we also get to capture His majesty and leave with the fragrance of His presence and His rest upon us.’ For some times now, my stillness has been between 2 and 3 am. I’m wide awake – it quiet, peaceful, the birds aren’t even up yet – lol. It’s in this place of stillness that the Lord speaks to me. It’s not an audible voice, it’s usually a strong unction – text this person and let them know you’re praying for them. It’s in this stillness that I find so much joy. I hear my God, I’m responsive, I act, I do, I obey, … The response from my text are often overwhelming. To know that God has used you to intercede – sometime for people you barely know, is amazing. I still get goosebumps when I get a response from my text – sharing with me what that person has been going through. It helps be better understand God’s love for His people, how even when it doesn’t feel like he is there He is sharing His love through others. Again, as shared so eloquently above – It is in this place that I get to capture His majesty and leave with the fragrance of His presence and His rest upon us.
Praise God! Thanks for sharing Lisa. That’s a great example of what happens when we are still before Him! Thank you for your faithfulness for hearing His voice and acting on it. I have certainly benefited from it.