Be Still and Know that I am God

 Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul, according to the instructions of Psalm 25  How do we lift up our soul?  The answer is to put other thoughts and feelings aside and focus your mind and heart on Jesus and who He is. Our fallen nature wants to be preeminent, the boss who controls us, but God leads us beside still waters where we let the presence of the Lord dominate.  The first step that Habakkuk takes in chapter 2 in order to hear God is to get alone on his post to seek God. Jesus calls this going into your room and shutting the door 

Psalm 37:7 tells us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”  God promises he will renew the strength of those who wait for Him.  Even Jeremiah reminds us that those who seek Him with all their heart will find Him, how much more does this principle apply to seeking to hear His voice. We show how much we really want to hear from God by our taking time to get still before Him and patiently wait.

Shut the door. What does Jesus mean by this action?  Does He not tell us to clean our plate of all our other thoughts and desires, to deliberately lay them down.  God honors our choices, our decisions.  As Romans 8:13 states “put to death the flesh by the power of the Spirit.”  Therefore, ask and depend on the Holy Spirit to help you lay aside anything and everything that wants your attention so you can receive what the Lord wants to say to you.

We will consider the next step, expecting Him to speak, in future posts, but today prepare your mind and heart to find a place and time where you can be still and know He is.

Getting to this ready state is such an important one if you are serious about wanting to hear God. If you need more encouragement, do a concordance or google search on “waiting on the Lord.”  Psalm 62:5, for example, states, “For God alone, O my soul (your mind, will, and emotions), wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.

Be of Good Cheer

Something bad happens.

You feel it is unfair and not right.  You want to complain.  You want to feel sorry for yourself.  You want to blame someone for the way you were mistreated.  You are upset and frustrated.  You feel, just like Jonah after a worm killed his shade tree outside of Nineveh, that you have a right to be angry.  You want to find someone to pour out all your pent-up emotions and frustrations upon, so you can have some sympathy.  You may even feel depressed and just want to quit. 

Do you know what is wrong about all these responses?  They don't work.  They only increase the negative results. 

The question is what do you do?  or maybe, what can you do?

Two strong suggestions:  1) Shut up.  Don't shoot your mouth off and make comments that later show your immaturity and for which you may be sorry.  2) Open your eyes to see beyond the immediate circumstances.

First, be quiet.  Proverbs 18:21 instructs us that death and life are in the tongue, so watch what you say.  Secondly note the wise response: Proverbs 29:11 declares, "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." and Proverbs 10:19 states that "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise."

Secondly, see the big picture.  You have been created in the image of God, you have been given life and love and a unique personality that God designed to enjoy His glory forever.  Jesus has paid the ultimate price for you showing your infinite worth and His everlasting love for you.  He is faithful and will be with you in the greatest or least trial.  You will make it.  Jesus said it this way (in John 16:33) "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  Later, in first John, He tells us that everyone who is born of God overcomes the world.

How do you get there when you feel overwhelmed in a negative situation?  Ask God for help.  He tells us in Ephesians 4:26  “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath" and in Romans 8:13 "but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Since He has called us to make these choices He also is here to do it inside us. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  Ask Him to do it as you surrender your fleshly "rights."

Last but not least, be filled with the Spirit.  The Word of God is spirit and life, so in other words, it feeds and gives life to the spirit.  As you read the Word and choose to obey it, the Spirit of God causes that seed to grow inside us.  Since it is God's will that we rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), we release the Spirit's power to dominate our flesh when we begin to give thanks, choose to rejoice, and deliberately trust God to work the situation for good.  His strength will enable us to make it through the current situation.

Are you in trouble?  Jesus answers it best, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."