Be
Still
Being Still is a hard thing to do many
times and it definitely won’t happen unless we intentionally take time for it.
God foretold that it would be hectic in the last days—that people would be running
to and fro (Daniel 12:4). Practicing time alone with the Lord is one of our
first duties. Jesus, after performing the miracle of feeding the 5,000 and
preaching and teaching for 3 days straight, got away from everyone—even his
disciples—to be with His Father. Jesus sent the crowds away who were still ecstatic
about the miracle and walked away from it all because He knew what was
important. Similarly, when Martha was running around serving and telling the
Lord that He should make Mary get up and help, Jesus said that only one thing was needful and Mary had found
it and it would not be taken from her. The principle is that sitting at
Jesus feet is important and when we do, it cannot be taken away from us.
All the laws and prophets hand on two
commandments #1 Love God and #2 love
others. Sadly, I think that we focus on loving others many times more than
loving God first and as a result we struggle and strive to truly love but
can’t. We can only love others with the Love that God puts into our hearts.
Therefore, it is essential that we cultivate our time with the Lord first and
foremost. The condition of our spiritual walk is of more importance than
anything else. How foolish we are when we attempt to repair all our relationships
with man before we maintain our union with the Lord. Jesus said Abide in me and
you’ll have all that you need (John 15). How do we abide—by staying, by being
still, by being quiet, by being silent; by meditating on the Word—just thinking
about it. In my own walk, I have found that many times, when I am being still
that I will say nothing and just sit and listen to the Lord as I read His Word
and as His Spirit occasionally brings things to mind—I jot them down. I have found that this is a place of
prayerfulness and rest as well as rejuvenation and transformation. I’m praying,
but I’m not saying anything, I’m simply there in the Secret Place with God and
listening. Isn’t is significant that Jesus told us to go into the Secret Place to pray? It isn’t about being in a big room
with people and finding our corner or sticking our head between our knees, it
is a Secret Place of fellowship that we pray. It isn’t about our many words or
the length of our prayers, but our dependency, our reliance on, our confidence
in, our abiding, our stillness and peace in Christ.
Beloved of Christ, remember that you are
loved by the Lord and spend time with Him. O that we would see men and women
who once again put God first and foremost, loving Him with all their heart,
soul, mind and strength!
…..Practice being still in the Secret Place.
