The Hardest Thing To Do

One of my absolute favorite verses in all of Scripture is Exodus 14:14: "The Lord will fight for you, and you be still."  But perhaps the hardest thing for us to do is to Be Still.  We like to figure out how to make things happen in our lives, we want to feel as if we are in control, we don't like letting go.  Yet over and over in Scripture, we are told to "Be Still."

I found a song by The Fray that speaks to this concept of "Be Still." Give it a listen while you remember that God has told us to Be Still.

Whose Time Is It Anyway?

But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.

Isaiah 40:31 

I like to watch birds fly.  To see such majesty as a hawk or an eagle is breathtaking.  And it reminds me of the words of Isaiah "they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired."  Such promises are encouraging and uplifting, when we read them we feel out hearts begin the ascent into the skies of joy...and then reality hits and we come crashing back into our trials and struggles.  We tend to blame God for not answering our prayers immediately and solving all our struggles without any effort on our part because, after all, He is God and we are not.

We tend to miss the important part of this passage found in the first line: "But those who WAIT for the Lord's help..."  We must learn that God works on HIS schedule, not ours, and we must learn to wait.  Now....this doesn't mean we sit back on the sofa and wait for God to decide to do something.  Far from it!  God reminds that none of our impatience will get Him to work any faster, just like continually pushing the elevator button does not bring the elevator to you any faster!  When God tells us to "Wait" and "Be Still" He expects us to focus on Him and listen for Him.

Why are we to wait and be still?  Let's think about a couple of possible reasons...could it be that we are still struggling to get past our past?  Could it be that God is putting all the pieces in place for His perfect plan for you which might include someone else gaining experience to help us?  Could it be that God wants us to slow down and realize the incredible gift He has given us in the nature which is all around us?  Could it be God is simply reminding us who is the one who is really in control of everything (time, situations, plans, details)?

As we wait on the Lord let's not be idle!  Take the time to reflect and THINK.  God is God and we are not!

Anger.....Not Always A Good Thing!

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸ Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.

Psalm 37:5-8

I have a confession to make...I have anger issues.  No, not the kind where I will end up in a slasher movie.  But I tend to let things get under my skin and eventually they reach the point where I can't take anymore and the explosion is resounding......and my anger explosion gets me in more trouble than if I had just kept my mouth shut.  

There have been many times when I wondered what could God possibly be thinking!  I tried to follow the rules, color between the lines, keep to the Standard Operating Procedure, yet someone else always managed to step in and get recognized or given the credit or didn't get punished or even flourished.  And I got angry!  Guess what my anger got me?  

It's amazing how many times Scripture reminds us to "Be Still" and "Don't Worry" yet we can't seem to follow those simple instructions.  When I am thinking about something and concentrating, I am either walking or pacing (depending on how much room I have).  If I find something disconcerting, I have the tendency to worry.  And guess what all my worrying helps?  

God is the one in control!  All our worrying; all of our anger; all of our discontent; all of our rage; all of our impatience does not negate the truth that God is in control!  We have to learn (yes I am talking to myself) to go through our lives remembering that God loves us; is in control of all things; and everything He does has a purpose that we may never see.  

I pray, even now, that God would teach us to be still and know Him! 

When You're Backed Into A Corner...

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Exodus 14:13-14 

 

Picture it: The Israelites have just been led out of the land of Egypt (after the 10 plagues) and have made it as far as the Red Sea.  Pharoah (ruler of Egypt) decides he wants the Israelites back in Egypt and takes his army to chase after them.  The Israelites (led my Moses) now find themselves with the Egyptian Army on one side of them and the Red Sea on the other side.  They don't know how they're going to get out of this one (insert cliffhanger music here).

 

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you just could not see how a good outcome?  I have.  What happens when we encounter these situations?  We panic!  We complain! We blame! None of which are helpful to our situation.

 

But look at what God told the Israelites through Moses: "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today."  Somehow I can hear the people of Israel shouting, "ARE YOU KIDDING? 'STAND STILL and WATCH'? Are you insane?"   We don't do very well at sitting still, do we.  We want to fix the situation.  We want to make a way out.  WE want to find a solution.  

 

I used to chuckle at the old Lifesavers advertisement where the child who is squirming in church is given a Lifesaver and immediately calms down.  My thinking was, Lifesavers are candy.....candy is made of SUGAR.....giving sugar to a child will, most likely, create an situation whereby the squirming ceases.  But I could be wrong.  Regardless, we don't like to sit still.

 

Have you ever been so upset that you couldn't even see straight and someone told you to "calm down"?  How well did that work?

 

However, when we stop trying to do God's job and we let God be God, it's amazing the solutions He brings.  So when you find yourself in a situation where you aren't sure there IS a solution...give it to God and let Him be God all over your situation!