The Art of Being Still

"Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swelling thereof...Be still and know that I am God. " (Psalm 46:2-3, 10)

    In the teaching world, there is a popular phrase we tell our students when they can't seem to sit still and behave themselves. We tell them manage your impulsivity. This means they need to control their natural tendency to be distracted, to want to squirm their way out of their seats, and their natural desire to act out of impatience. This is extremely hard for middle school students, but we still expect them to learn this concept.  As Christians, we too must manage our impulsivity, or our natural tendency to act out of impatience.
       In Isaiah 30:21, we read that the Israelite people fell into a sinful state by building alliances with the Egyptians, who were a type and figure of sin and the world.  The Israelites were weary in heart and had little strength left in them. As a result, they became desperate to make something happen in their lives. Yet, instead of turning to God, they found comfort in Egypt and in all the provisions it seemed to offer them. They refused God's counsel (v. 1) and in the end, were left confused (v. 3). Yet, after God's rebuke, He invited them back into the stillness of His presence, a place of rest, and a place where He could guide them once again and prepare their way.
     There are moments in life where you experience weariness, lack of strength, and desperation for God to answer you.  It is in those very moments that your true character is revealed.  You can either choose to trust in God to meet your needs or you look to other things and people for the answers you so desperately need. Sometimes we think that if God is not "showing up" it is our job to help Him out.  Often, we feel that we need to intervene on our own behalf.  Don't get me wrong, there are many times when God requires that we act in faith, but there are also times when God tells us to be still and know that He is God. In verse 7, the Lord speaks to the people through Isaiah saying, "For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose...Their [Israelites] strength is to sit still." Verse 5 goes on to say, "For thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength..."  How hard is it for us to be still and to rest in the Lord?  It can be very hard at times. Despite what we tell ourselves,  a season of rest and stillness is of God.  In these seasons, we often think because we are not doing anything extraordinary at every moment of every day or because no great event is occurring in our lives, that our life serves no purpose. Lack of excitement, unanswered prayers, and moments of waiting can cause us to be anxious to the point where we can act too hastily.  I can see this happening in a variety of situations. A young woman is tired of waiting on God to bring her that special someone so she runs out and dates an unbeliever who has different values than her and could care less about God's calling upon her life. Or sometimes, a guy will settle for a nice Christian girl that doesn't have the same calling up her life that he has. Sometimes a person will take a job that interferes with Church and ministry or a job that promotes values opposite of their own because they become desperate.  Sometimes, a couple will get tired of living in that one-bedroom apartment and purchase that large house even when they know they are not ready for such a large mortgage. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. It is in those resting and quiet seasons of our lives where God's power truly works through us. In the same chapter above, we see a couple of verses later that God beckons the children of Israel to return to him so he could direct them once again, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious to you...blessed are all they that wait for him...And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it..." (Isaiah 30: 18, 21).  Know that when you choose to be still and to stand in the quietness of God, you are positioning yourself to hear from God regarding the direction you should go. He will show His way for you and tell you to walk in it.  To me, that's powerful. Know that quiet times in God are just as powerful as moments where God is doing a quick and  powerful work. Author Elizabeth George tells about a time in her life where God forced her to rest physically and spiritually. For many months after she and her husband, as well as their children moved to Singapore, she stayed in their apartment with her kids. She longed to be out there with her husband in the city ministering to the people, giving conferences, and training other women in the Kingdom of God, but God did not open those doors quite yet. She finally accepted this circumstance and began to spend more time in prayer, with her children, adjusting to the new culture, and in general, just resting in God's presence. Later, her life got busy once again, but the time of rest that she experienced those first few months gave her the strength she needed later to serve more fervently in God's kingdom. God ordained that time her life and God is ordaining this quiet and restful time in your life as well. Don't fight it.  You don't know what lies ahead, but God does. You may need to store up strength for a later season. Don't lose heart, God is still directing you and guiding you. Just continue to be Still and know that He is God. No matter what is happening around you or what is NOT happening around you, be still.  God has everything under control.

Wait a Moment....

 ^{"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is for a moment, worketh in us a fare more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."}  

                      ^{II Corinthians 4:16-17}

Everyone that knows me knows that I have a problem with time.  My perception of time is very different from others' perception. Five minutes to me could mean 20 minutes.  If I say that I'll be ready in a moment, that means sit down and wait another 20-30 minutes.  I'll admit that this bothers my family like crazy.  At work, I feel like I fit in because, teachers for the most part, seem to have the same problem.  We are always a little off on our time and we accept each other for it.  he he. If we think about it though, many of us are spiritually "off" on our time. Our perception of a moment  is different than what the Bible says about a moment.  Paul said, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment..."  Paul was not only referring to our trials and life tests, but he also meant that our life is short in the light of eternity. When we get to heaven, our time on earth will seem like  it occurred in the blink of an eye. In contrast to Paul's idea of what a moment is, for many, our idea of a moment has come to mean a very long period. Some of us live our lives like we're going to live forever. We do not regard eternity as that important because we are living in the here and now.  Eternity seems so out of our reach and death seems like it is so far away.   James described our lives as a vapor,"For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:14).  That's pretty powerful. Further, we are told to not focus on the things we see, but on those things which are not seen which is heaven and eternal life with Christ Jesus.  So why do we invest so much energy and worry on a "moment" that will pass us by?  Why do we worry so much about silly little things?  Why do we devote our lives to meaningless tasks and ambitions? I believe it is because we've made this moment out to be longer than it really is.   My encouragement to you today is to stop worrying about things that don't really matter. Stop worrying about your high paying career. Stop worrying about what kind of house you want. Stop worrying about getting a new car.  Stop worrying about what others think of you.  Stop worrying about building your earthly kingdom. You are blessed by God and He will provide what you need for this moment in time, but don't focus so much on life here.  This earthly moment will pass us by sooner than we think.  Just keep your eyes on Him and His future Kingdom.   Make this moment count eternally.

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Today at work, a guest teacher approached me with a hug and a prayer.  This precious woman is always offering me encouraging words and when I sprained my ankle earlier this month, she prayed the prayer of faith right there in the principal's office.  I admire her boldness. Today she had a treat for me. She invited me to her house because she had a book that she wanted to give me. The book is called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a 365-day devotional with a Bible reading plan and some beautiful prayers. I must say that I have never really been into these kind of books because I'm not really into short little one-page devotionals- I like long stories.  Yet, I found myself really into this little book. The devotion for today really spoke to me as it reminded me to keep trusting in God for direction in my life.  Further, the story of the author brought such encouragement to me because her calling is similar to mine.  This book is going to be my new little friend. I encourage you to purchase it.  Here is a little excerpt from the book. Enjoy! 

Softy I Announce My Presence

Shimmering hues of radiance tap gently at your consciousness, seeking entrance. Though I have all Power in heaven and on earth, I am infinitely tender with you. The weaker you are, the more gently I approach you. Let your weakness be a door to My Presence.Whenever you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present Help. Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity. Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I bear the weight of your burdens; thus, you are lightened. Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of Light will reach you through the darkness.

Psalm 46:1; Romans 12:12; Roman s 15:13

Water Springs in the Desert

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autums rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (Psalm 84:5-6)

I'll be honest that the last couples of months of been a bit rough. It seems like one problem after another came my way and my family's way.  To be quite honest, in the midst of it all, I've been facing a bit of a dry spell spiritually.  Like I've said in previous posts, we go through different seasons that are meant to mold us and make us stronger. This is such a season. I was encouraged as I read the beautiful portion of scripture above this morning. My curiousity got the best of me and I did a little research on my lunch hour.  The Valley of Baca is known as the Valley of Lamentations or the Valley of Weeping. Its a desert area that was known for very little rainfall- or a dry valley. Sound familiar?   Spiritually, we all go through that dry valley in our lives. If you haven't yet, you eventually will. Yet there is no reason to fear or despair.  It is in this place of our lives where there are some of the greatest blessings. The scripture above shows that in the midst of a that dry place, God makes it a place of springs and allows the autumn rains to fall or cover it with pools of water. You see, as we walk through this place in our lives, sometimes our tears are all that we have.  I truly believe that God uses these tears to water the seeds of promise in our lives. It is these tears that cover this desert place or valley, empowering us with more of God's strength, as the scripture says, "they go from strength to strength."  Our tears are forming the water springs and rains that will be used to bless our lives.  Remember, God will always provide a spring of water in your desert. I recall the story of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:14-20).  Sarah had angrily sent Hagar away with her son into the Wilderness of Beersheba.  Hagar and her son eventually ran out of water.  The Bible says that Hagar stood afar off from her son and was prepared to watch him die from thirst. We read that God sent an Angel who told her that God had heard her son's cry. Then the Angel opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. She was able to give her son to drink which saved his life. God did it so that the promise over his life could be fulfilled.  Isn't it awesome that God provided a well in Hagar's desert? He cared what happened to her and her son even if no one else did.
God will always provide a spring or a well for us in the spiritual deserts of our lives. At the end of this desert, we end up knowing God in such a greater, powerful way. As I write this, I feel such an assurance that God is about to allow the rains of promise fall soon. He sees us and has not forgotten us.  I feel that God is about to do the same for you too. Let us wait in expectation as we watch God transform a spiritual desert into a place where we are saturated with Him and all of Him.  :) 

April

Sweetness to a Child's Lips

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The above scripture has always been used as an encouragement for parents when it comes to their children. My own mother has always encouraged herself with this verse as she raised us four children on her own. I heard something this morning on the radio that really touched me and that I'd like to share regarding this verse. The word "train" in the Hebrew is hanak. It comes from the root meaning, "to put something into the mouth" or to "affect the taste." It refers to the process of a parent putting syrup or honey into the mouth of a newborn child to encourage sucking. In the context of the above scripture, we see that influencing a child takes more than preaching at them or even just taking them to church every Sunday. As parents, it's living in such a way that your children taste the sweetness of God through you--through your lifestyle, that it creates an urge or desire in them to serve God. In teaching, we call this modeling. We know that you can't just tell people how to do something, but you must show them. You can't just tell your kids to serve God, but through your righteous living, you can create a desire in them to want to taste the Lord for themselves. Although I am not a parent myself, I have seen this first-hand in my life through my own mother and my grandmother. Something precious that I will always keep with me about my own mom is those many nights when we were younger and how she would pace our home praying over every single one of us. She was a single-mom and she always tells me that when my dad walked out on us, the Lord walked in. She depended on Him daily to meet our family's needs. Was she perfect? Absolutely not (oh wait, she's reading this, so she was absolutely perfect lol). Yet, she allowed me to see through her own life how blessed and favored by God someone could be if they put their complete trust in Him. The taste is still in my mouth and its sweetness continues to draw me closer to a beautiful and wonderful Savior.

Letting Others See Jesus in Me

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."  II Corinthians 4:7

I can't help but chuckle at a story my mom was telling me this morning.  We were discussing the church she used to congregate at during her teen years. She is from a small town called Oceano.  She remembers that the Pastor of the small church at the time used to visit every single one of his congregants each day for a couple of minutes to see how they were doing.  One of families of the church was full of young boys and the story goes that whenever Pastor Pete, as he was known, would come around to this house and the boys would see him from the window, one of them would yell to his mother, "Mom, JESUS is coming!  JESUS is coming!" I can't help but chuckle at the sweetness of this little boy.  In his mind, he associated the Pastor with Jesus.  I began to think about this a little more. For us Christians, what would happen if people saw Jesus  instead of seeing us? Instead of seeing bickering, hate, anger, hypocrisy, lies, and a lot of other things most people associate with modern day Christians, what if they instead saw only in us the life of a humble man that loved them enough to die for their sins?  My prayer is that when I walk down the street, walk into a room, walk into church, people will see Jesus and not me.   Like I always say, I may not be there yet, but I'm a work in progress and God's not done with me yet. Blessings.

The song below says it all for me. Enjoy!

Surviving Outside of the Nest

As a little girl, I remember so often wishing that I was a grown-up.  I wanted to control my own life, have my own money, my own car and cute little apartment or cottage, and be able to make adult decisions. Well, I grew up. I have all those things now, but sometimes, it's easy to feel alone and like the world is on my shoulders. I've traded in care-free days laying in my mama's arms and not having any worries for juggling a career, monthly bills, having to maintain relationships, facing the wonderful world of "people issues," and the responsibility of taking care of me.  I'll admit that sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed. Sometimes I wish I could be a little girl again and not have any responsibilities, but unfortunately, we can't turn back time.  I just keep pushing forward, knowing that God is with me and He is my ultimate provider and the one that truly takes care of me.   As I thought about this yesterday, I asked God, did you ever feel this way during your time here on earth? My mind was immediately taken to a portion of scripture that I have read very often, "And Jesus said...“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  When I read this, I get the sense that Jesus Christ sought rest for His soul in the midst of a hectic world. As a man, he got tired. Wouldn't you if you were constantly serving people, casting out devils, and doing signs, wonders and miracles?  He didn't have the luxury of relying on his parents anymore. He simply had to rely on God.  Often times, we too look for a place of rest in this crazy world, but the only place we will find it is in Jesus Christ. Looking elsewhere will leave us empty. Friends will come and go and family relationships will evolve with seasons, but the one true constant is Him. Don't get me wrong, we will always have people in our lives that we can turn to (ie. parents, siblings, friends), but they are not responsible for us. There comes a point where we must take responsiblity for ourselves. Even if you're married and have children, you will still feel that sense of responsiblity, and at times, weight on your shoulders. My sister who is married with two children under the age of five, is finishing up her masters degree,and works as a full-time teacher librarian says that sometimes she gets overwhelmed with all her responsiblities. She and I giggle as we remember our high-school years when our greatest worry was bringing home a bad grade. If you are single and on your own, you might feel that longing for a sense of home.  Here is my encouragement for you.  God is there there to give you that sense of "home" when you feel homesick.  He is there to give you that sense of family if you don't have one.  He is also there to give you that sense of wholeness when you feel lonely.  Jesus may have had no place to lay his head, but the good news for us is that because of His sacrifice, we have a place to lay our heads down.  We have a place of rest in Him.  Its simply up to us to find it.  May you and I always find it.  :)