How can I be still when things are out of order? How can I be still when the storms of life surround me? These questions have been coming back in and out of my mind these past weeks. Though, I tend to be calm and manage to smile. I felt the pressure inside as I thought of the things that I need to settle soon and the seemingly tiring journey of healing. My focus was starting to get swayed and again, the truths that I kept holding onto started to become doubts as I struggled to remain firm and steady.
“Lord, how can I be still?”
I like how still is defined by Webster – it is devoid of or abstaining from motion. It is quietness and calmness. I shared in my previous post how I like the water in the sea. The slow and rhythmic swaying of the waters when it is calm and the rage of the waves when it storms makes me think of life – its course and irony. I had traveled by boat during good and bad weather and I still feel how it is like to be in the middle of the sea when it is calm and when it is wild. When the waves are raging, it is so hard to be still.
When face with deep sorrows, moments of hopelessness, and times of discouragement, being still in the Lord seems impossible. I have a hard time being still in the Lord. Whenever I am facing a difficulty in life, the first thing that I would do is to plan and think logically. I am used to this – self-sufficient as I am. Lately, I realized that I am in a situation where I could not plan anything and I could not see things logically. The only thing that I could do is to be still and let the Lord deal with it. This brings peace and humility – that whenever we choose to cast our cares on Him, He will sustain us (Psalm 55:22). It is not easy, as our flesh keep on fighting, telling that we should do our own work to make things better.
Others might say that, we must pray and plan. Yes, there are times that we are in situation where we must do that. Even the Scripture tells us that planning is wise. We see the story of Joseph and how in his wisdom from God, came out with a great plan to counter the famine in the land. Even Queen Esther, before she came into the king’s presence, she fasted and planned her steps on how she could come to the King and reveal Haman’s wicked heart. However, there are also times when the Lord wants us to just be still and wait on Him. Instances in David’s life proved how being still is sometimes the only thing that the Lord wants us to do. His silence does not mean He forgets, though. His silence tells us that He alone can fix what we cannot. All the while, He is in the game of orchestrating things without our help. Like how “still” is defined, we need to abstain from moving and be still.
BE STILL
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God. . .
I love singing this song whenever my heart is overwhelmed with the twist and turns of life. It never fails to remind me how I need to rest in the full assurance that God is God no matter how difficult my situation may be. Our deepest encounter with God is not when things are right but when things are falling apart and we feel helpless. And, the only thing that we can hope for is God’s loving mercy and grace to keep us from stumbling. The truth of who God is and His character will enable us to stand still amidst the chaos around.
“Stand in awe and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still” (Psalm 4:3). David’s Psalm illustrates how someone like him, a man after God’s own heart, experienced dark moments that only God could turn into something beautiful. He trusted God so much that all He had to do was to tell everything to God- every fear, disappointment, complaint, trial, affliction, bitterness, grievance, and discouragement. As a result, David became victorious in his battle.
Knowing David’s life, I can also be like Him. I can be who I am in the sight of God. As what His Word says, “no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we must give an account (Hebrews 4:13). And, what I need to do is to tell everything to the Lord and cast all my cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). He is always willing to listen and this comforts me. I can be still if I choose to let Him carry my burden instead of wallowing in my pride and resisting His grace.
KNOW THAT HE IS GOD
There are times that God seems so silent. We know that we are doing what is right but our prayers are not answered. We never stray away, but we cannot feel Him. Does it change the fact that He is God? Of course not! He is always our “Lord, the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great mighty and awesome who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes” (Deuteronomy 10:17). His character will not change based on our perspective and situation. He is who he says He is.
The Scripture gives us the truth that we can choose to believe in times of uncertainties and doubts:
Psalm 48:14 “For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death.”
Psalm 50: 6 “And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.”
1 John 1:5 “ This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Matthew 22: 32 “ I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
Psalm 33:11 “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”
Being still brings peace instead of worry.
Being still gives rest instead of burden and confusion.
Being still provides hope believing that God is in control.
When we are tempted to act and fix our problem alone, remember that stillness is giving God the work while we steady our hearts in Him.
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