Being still helps us fight against strife, anxiety, and restlessness! The scripture gives us insight into how to get there and allow it to be part of our lifestyle!
Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength. Isaiah 25:1-4
For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2: 16
Living in a restless culture, it feels like if you are not stressed or anxious, you must be out of touch with reality and what is going on in the world. In truth, that is not the way the Lord wants us to live! He has a lifestyle of peace and rest for His children that makes them different than the rest of the world!
The above two passages give us insight into how we can be still before the Lord and enjoy Him!
- Isaiah 25:1-4 tells us that we have God’s perfect peace when we remain focused on the Lord. If we desire to be still before the Lord, we need to learn to stay focused on Him. The best way to stay focused on the Lord is to begin our day with prayer, worship, and/or the word of God. This sets the tone for the day. The Holy Spirit may highlight something in our quiet time that we can continue meditating on throughout the day and allowing the Lord to minister to us.
- Having the mind of Christ allows us to have His perfect peace and to be still before the Lord. We may have many feelings and thoughts through the day, but when we measure them against the mind of Christ, it allows us to reject those things that don’t line up with how Jesus would think about the situation. There is so much freedom when we can be emptied of lies, rejection, and negativity.
- It takes intentional effort to stay focused on Jesus and invite His peace into our lives.
- Being still is about letting go of our carnality that continues to fight against us and tries to bait us. Naturally, we may feel like we have a right to be angry, frustrated, or restless, but spiritually, we lose ground when we surrender to the flesh.
- Be preemptive and work on staying focused on the Lord and being still when you don’t have challenges in life. This will train the soul and the body to be conditioned for rest. When the flesh comes under stress, we are able with the help of the Holy Spirit to bring it back to a peaceful place faster because we are trained for it.
- Being still and having the peace of God allows us to change the atmosphere around us. Jesus was focused on the Lord continually and He was the one who always changed the atmosphere around Him. We put people at ease when we have learned to be still before the Lord. We are more careful and protective of our peace, and we choose not to get involved in comparison and competition, which are peace stealers. We move away from carnality, so that the peace of God continues to rest upon us. This is more powerful and life-changing than anything we can accomplish in the flesh. Being still allows us to respond better to others, build bridges, and even share our faith!
Make it your goal to find time to be still before the Lord by remaining focused on Him and learning to live in His peace consistently!