Be Still

Little Bit was on the go all day yesterday.  I don't think she stopped until she zonked out.  We had organized her toys, so she got to play with "new" toys most of the day.  I think she honestly forgot about some of the toys she has.  So I let her play with them while I was "working" on the computer.  

About 45 minutes to half an hour before her bedtime, she got awfully quiet. I figured she was just playing.  That was until I looked down and noticed she had fallen asleep under the table by my feet.  The moment was captured by the camera.  Only time she slowed down was when she was at my feet.

I don't know about you, but I have trouble sitting still.  I have trouble being still.  Just like Little Bit, I find things to keep me busy and I don't stop.  But then I remember in Psalm 46:10, we are told to "Be still, and know that I am God."

In a world of go, go, go, being still is a foreign concept.  We have deadlines to meet, dishes to wash, clothes to launder, dogs to walk, floors to vacuum, sinks to fix, sleep to catch.  When is there even time to be still?  Better yet, what does it even mean to be still?  In the context of Psalm 46, it is an imperative verb meaning to abandon, forsake, to let go, to be quiet.  

Have you ever heard someone say that it is imperative that we leave now?  What do they mean by imperative?  What is an imperative verb?  It means absolutely necessary or required.  It is also a command.  So when God tells us to be still, He is saying it is absolutely necessary.  He is not asking us.  He is not saying, "it would be a good idea".  He is commanding us because it is absolutely necessary to be still, and know that He is God.  It is for our good.  Not for His.

So back to the question.  How do we be still in an on the go world?  Faith.  We have to have faith that God will take care of all of our stresses.  We have to have faith that God will take care of our problems.  God has proven on multiple occasions that He can handle our problems, big or small.  He fed the 5,000.  What makes us thing He won't make sure there is food on the table?  He healed the men of leprosy.  Why don't we think He will our broken families?  He dies on the cross for us.  Why do we think He doesn't care enough about our problems to take care of them?  I wonder if God says to us "oh ye of little faith" whenever we refuse to give our problems over to Him.  In Matthew 6:31-34, Jesus says:  "Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we wear?"  For after these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

But to let go means we have to relinquish control to someone else.  This is a big deal for many.  This is a big deal for me!  I like to be in control of anything that affects me personally.  If something needs to be completed and I am on the committee, I will do all the work just to make sure it gets done.  I don't want to take the chance of it not getting done.  Or even worse, of it not getting done right!  So you could say I am somewhat of a control freak.  (See Control Freak in the Unmaking).  So when it comes to giving control of a problem to someone else, let's just say I start to worry.  If I am not taking care of it, then how will it ever get done?  God has asked to take over my problems.  And yours.  All of them!  Not just the big ones.  He wants them all!  You know that leaky faucet?  Yep, He wants that one!  the kids are sick?  He's got it!  The job that is stressing you out tot he point of using up all your sick days, and then some?  He will take care of it!  The only problem He has is getting us to let it go!  He can't seem to get our fingers from around it.  And He isn't going to force us into giving our problems over to Him.  He wants us to relinquish control over to Him freely.  All we have to do is give it all to Him.  (See "To the Rock that is Higher than I")

In Counsels for the Church pg 294 Ellen White speaks of God’s Interest in Little Things - "There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. When we feel that we need the presence of Christ at every step, Satan will have little opportunity to intrude his temptations. It is his studied effort to keep us away from our best and most sympathizing friend. We should make no one our confidant but Jesus. We can safely commune with Him of all that is in our hearts. Brethren and sisters, when you assemble for social worship, believe that Jesus meets with you; believe that He is willing to bless you. Turn the eye away from self; look unto Jesus, talk of His matchless love. By beholding Him you will become changed into His likeness. When you pray, be brief, come right to the point. Do not preach the Lord a sermon in your long prayers. Ask for the bread of life as a hungry child asks bread of his earthly father. God will bestow upon us every needed blessing if we ask Him in simplicity and faith."

So now we are still.  We have let go of the troubles, the worries, the problems.  We have become quiet.  What do we do next?  We know.  To know means to confess, to know by experience, to acknowledge.  It is more than just know OF God.  We must know God.  So how do we come to know God? 

Start with the basics.  Find time.  Delve into His Word. 

The Bible compares the relationship of the church and Jesus as a marriage.  These comparisons are found in Matthew 25:1-13, Ephesians 5:22-27, and Revelation 21:2. In any good marriage, you have to have good communication.  You have to study your spouse.  You have to spend quality time with each other.  A marriage is more than a contract.  It is a commitment. 

Professor H.W. Jurgen, a West German sociologist, claims that married couples chat with one another 70 minutes a day in the first year of their marriage. This drops to 30 minutes a day in the second year and then only to 15 minutes a day in the 4th. His research shows that by the eighth year, a husband and wife, typically, share hardly any small talk and become nearly silent with one another.  And we wonder why so many marriages end in divorce.

But if our relationship with God is likened to that of a marriage, I don’t want this to describe my relationship with God.    We are told to pray without ceasing in 1^st Thessalonians 5:17.  Of course this means to be ready to pray at all times.  Jesus found time to escape the crowds and pray. 

In Steps to Christ, chapter 11, Ellen White says Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.

When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.

Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, that He might come forth braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, "in all points tempted like as we are;" but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in communion with His Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer.

Not only is communication important, but so is our study of the word of God.  The more you study your spouse, the more you get to know them and the more you fall in love with them.  This is also true with God.  The more we study His word, the more we get to know him and the more we fall in love with Him.  And even better, the more we become like Him.  By beholding we become changed.

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

"And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life". John 5:37-40

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness for all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 and the seek means to crave.  Again, it is an imperative verb, meaning it is a command.  So we must crave the kingdom of God.

Knowing God, his sovereignty and his power, gives us assurance, peace and stillness. He tells us to stop from all of our busy work and anxiety and reflect on God’s sovereign control over all things.  Be still and reflect on his glory and power. Be still and make God our refuge, strength and help. Then our hearts will be quiet. Then we will sing with the psalmist, “In God will I trust. Even if foundations are shaken, yet God will I seek.” 

We are able to "be still, and know that I am God" only By God's Amazing Grace.

To the Rock that is Higher than I

The World’s Strongest Man competition was taking place this past Sunday.  The competitors were lifting, pushing, pulling, throwing, and carrying multiple objects of ridiculous size and weight.  Some of the objects included a charter bus, 900 plus pound weight, large boulders, and monster sized tires.  These men usually end up with some kind of injury, which can include a torn muscle or even broken bones from dropping heavy equipment on their feet. I am competitive and all, but even I think that this is extreme.  Why would they choose to carry objects of that size and proportion?  Just for a metal or a title?  Must be crazy.

But then I realized I do the same thing.  I carry things of ridiculous size and proportion, but they are not visible to others.  I carry things like stress from my job; I worry about my daughter’s future, guilt from past decisions, and even regret.  These things are hidden, for the most part, but they can be just as heavy as some of the objects those men were carrying.  And just like those men, I choose to carry them.  And I am not in a competition.  I don’t win a prize for carrying these things around.  Just extra weight and baggage.  Not a great reward, if you ask me.

Do you carry these things around with you?  Are you holding onto a burden that is too heavy to bear? 

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…”

Are you the hardworking employee who has been passed up for that promotion yet again?  He’s calling you.

Are you the single mother who is working two jobs just to keep your family afloat?  He’s calling you.

Are you the Christian struggling with your faith and you don’t feel worthy to be called God’s child?  He’s calling you.

There is a song by Mike’s Chair that says, “You might be the wife waiting up at night.  You might be the man struggling to provide.  Feeling like it’s hopeless.  Maybe you’re the son who chose a broken road.  Maybe you’re the girl thinking you’ll end up alone.  Praying God, can you hear me?  Oh, God, are You listening?  Am I more than flesh and bone?  Am I really something beautiful?  Yeah, I wanna believe I wanna believe that I’m not just some wandering soul  That You don’t see and You don’t know. Yeah, I wanna believe, Jesus, help me believe.  That I am someone worth dying for.”  Do you feel like any of the people mentioned in the song?  He is calling you, too!

There are times we find ourselves surged over, submerged, engulfed and inundated in emotional confusion, hurts and disappointment, deadlines, financial burdens, illness, one trial after another and the list goes on and on. The waves keep coming and we find ourselves sinking and being swallowed up by the tides. We fight and fight, strategize, cry and at times we want to give up. The pressure seems like it’s too much to bear. 

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, God promises us “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 

Let’s read Psalm 61:1-3, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." What an awesome psalm! We are all overwhelmed during various stages of our lives and God has a place He wants to lead us to. That’s why a psalm like “lead me to the rock” is so powerful because it relates to all of us; we all at times are overwhelmed and we need to be led “to the Rock that is higher than ourselves.”

I have been carrying a burden around for a very long time.  Things have been really tough at work.  Especially this school year.  I went from teaching 6^th grade math, to being the interventionist for 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade, to taking over an 8^th grade teachers job.  These changes have been very challenging.  Every change came with more stresses and more problems.  By the last change, I was ready to walk out the door.  I was ready to quit.  But I knew I had a family to support.  Jesus was calling me.  He called me to the Rock that is higher than I.  So I went to Him.

So when we come to Him, what do we find?  What do we receive at the Rock?

Jesus says in Matthews 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  When your heart, mind, and the inner depths of your soul is overwhelmed and flooded with physical and mental distress, when it feels like you are carrying weights that are too heavy, when the demands of others are burdensome; Jesus instructs us to come unto Him. Not only did He say come unto the Rock but He promises to give us rest. 

The first thing we find at the Rock is rest. Jesus has promised - I will give you rest, meaning a pause.  Jesus wants to press the pause button and refresh your mind. The rest Jesus is speaking of is to cause you cease from any movement or mental anguish in order for you to recover and collect your strength.  He tells us in Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

We find Refreshing at the Rock. The Rock is the place of refreshing, a place where the Lord will revive you with rest, food, or drink in order to give you new vigor and passion.  He provides the rest through peace—“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22).  He gives you food or nourishment of the Word “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3.  And the drink He provides as a river of living water. 

In John 4:7-15, we find the story of where Jesus meets the woman at the well.  “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.””

Jesus offers us this same water today.  He can give us living water which will refresh our souls.

The third thing we find at the Rock is Healing. The rock is the place where Jesus wants to gently peel or scrape the edges of a wound to promote healing.

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.” Psalm 6:2

“But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.”  Luke 9:11

The multitudes came to Him to receive healing.  They knew He could provide a healing like none other.

When I went to Jesus with my burden, my job, He gave me rest.  He gave me the strength I needed to complete my new tasks every time.  I had to pray for strength and wisdom on a daily basis.  And He provided it every time I asked for it.  He provided healing for me by changing my attitude.  He helped me accept my job responsibilities with every change.  He also made me stronger.  And He refreshed me by reminding me of His promises daily.  And He gave me the peace I needed by providing a new, better opportunity for the next school year.

How do we find rest, restoration, and healing?  How is He able to provide these to us? 

The men competing in the strongest man competition at one point must put down the heavy objects.  They must choose to let them go.  They cannot carry these objects around with them when the competition is over.  It is the same for you and me.  When we come to the Rock, to Jesus, we must let go of our heavy burdens.  We must give them over to Him.  We must surrender them.  We have to make a choice.  Do we hold on to them expecting to find rest or do we lay them at the feet of Jesus and receive rest? 

There was a little girl who bought a string of fake pearls from the store with money she had earned.  She absolutely loved the pearls.  She wore them everywhere she went, even to bed.  Every night, the father asked the little girl if she loved him and if he could have the pearls.  Her reply was the same.  She loved her father very much, but she didn't want to release them.  That was until one night, with tears in her eyes, she slipped them from around her neck and gave them to her father.  He left the room and when he returned, he placed something else in her hands.  A string of real pearls. 

We are like this little girl. We hold onto our problems, burdens, troubles and we don’t want to give them to our Heavenly Father.  He is not going to snatch them from us.  He is not going to fight us for our problems.  He wants us to give Him our burdens.  He wants us to surrender our issues to Him.  He then, in exchange, will give us rest, restoration, and healing.  He will provide something much greater than the troubles we have been carrying around for so long.

When I went to Jesus and He provided rest, restoration, and healing, it was because I gave my burden to Him.  I realized I could not carry it myself.  I had to lay it at Jesus feet.  I went to Him in prayer and told Him that I could not do this job on my own.  I told Him I needed His help.  I also told Him that I needed out of the school district.  I asked Him to open a door so wide for me that I could not miss it and to close doors so tightly so that I could not try to open them myself.  I gave it all to Him.  I asked for His will to be done.  I asked for Him to make His will my desire.  I wanted His will to be the desire of my heart.  And He did just that.

Again, Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

In this case, to learn means “by use and practice, to be in the habit of, accustomed to”.  Jesus wants us to take His yoke upon us and to make it a habit.  This is not just a one-time offer.  He wants us to take His yoke all the time.  He wants us to give Him our problems, our worries, our stresses, or burdens all the time.  He wants to make our load light.  Not just once, but always. 

So what is a yoke and what’s its purpose? It is farming equipment.  Yokes tie two oxen together so that they can share the load of plowing (and other work) and spread the burden easily across their broad shoulders. Ox and horses are often used for this purpose. The two animals work much more effectively than one could because they’re able to combine their strength and move in the same direction. They can work together to pull loads that one animal could not handle alone. 

There is a story about a farmer plowing his field with a team of Oxen.  A man noticed that one of the animals was seemingly a littler bigger than the other so he asked the farmer about it. The response from the farmer was very interesting.  He said that the big animal was an older animal that was well trained and the smaller one was a young animal that was new to the yoke. The man went on to inquire as to why he put them together and this is the answer that he got,  "Well you see, it's like this.  That older ox is the best ox that I've ever had; he knows his way around the field.  The reason I put the younger one with him is so that the older, more knowledgeable ox could teach him how to plow.  If I never put them together the younger one would never learn.  By himself the younger ox would pull himself to death, but together he learns to cooperate with and rest in the strength of the older ox."

A big difference between you and I and those men in the strongest man competition, is they have to carry that weight all by themselves.  We have an advantage.  We have Someone who has offered to help us carry the weight.  We don’t have to lug these burdens everywhere all by ourselves.  We are to continually take His yoke.  He will help us carry our load.  He will help us carry our burdens. 

Not only did Jesus give me His yoke and help me to carry my burden, He provided so much rest for me.  He opened a door so wide that I was not able to miss it.  He provided a new job for me this next school year that has been a desire of my heart for many years.  My family and I will be moving to another state and I will be working at one of our church schools.  I did not just go to Him once.  I came to Him continually.  I took His yoke upon me and learned from Him.  I made it an everyday process.  And He provided that rest that I so desperately needed.

In Desire of Ages, page 330, Ellen G. White says, "There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world's standard. They have chosen its service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its customs. Thus their character is marred, and their life made a weariness. In order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing out the life forces. Our Lord desires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage. He invites them to accept His yoke; He says, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet."

There’s a Rock that is higher than your issues.

   It’s time to press the PAUSE button!    Visit the Rock.  Give Him your problems and He will give you rest.
   If you continue without making a visit to the Rock you will be rendered powerless by the excessive and abundance of perplexities and trouble in your life. 

   The Rock came to take your yokes and heavy burdens.  We all wear yokes of one kind or another but the Rock has a yoke that's easy and His burdens are light.  When your heart is overwhelmed, God will lead you to the Rock that is higher than I.  Jesus is bidding that you come and receive what He was to offer at the Rock.  He offers this By God’s Amazing Grace.