what it means to be still before the lord

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Alexis has a Chief's degree from Denver Seminary and a Bachelor's caste from Colorado Christian University. She has been in professional person ministry for over 15 years. She has served in ministry positions such as co-pastor, youth minister, and spiritual manager.
She is a mom, wife, and passionate believer that Jesus changes everything.

Latest posts past Alexis Waid (run into all)

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Be still.

Be still and know that I am God.

How practice you lot read this statement?

Practice yous find information technology empowering?

Do you feel judgment?

Do y'all sense God's love?

Sometimes people have a difficult time with Scripture from the Old Testament, viewing God every bit a hateful judgmental one-time human.

Seeing that this Scripture is from the Old Testament, I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page before we even started examining it. And let's begin by offset understanding that this is a verse of beloved, protection, and power.

When you examine the entire text of Psalm 46, yous can see that God is in that location for His people no matter the circumstance. He is their refuge and strength and dwells among His people.

This is a God of love; a God of power.

At present that we take a just a little bit of the background down from this verse, let's dive into the heart of the thing. How does this poesy affect the states, and more than specifically, how does information technology touch yous?

Be even so and know that I am God.

What does this information from God practise for you?

Stop and recollect near it just a moment. Imagine God saying to you right now, in this very moment, "My child, I love you. Be still and know that I am with yous."

What does that exercise FOR you lot? What does that practise IN you?

Maybe it does a lot already, and that is neat!

Withal, it may practise very little or it may but affect you lot intellectually, but really doesn't speak to your middle.

If yous happen to fall into that concluding category, no worries. Permit'due south walk together through this verse, and examine how this Scripture can become alive in your life.

First of all, I believe at that place are two ways that beingness still before God is difficult for us.

1.) It's Countercultural.

ii.) Nosotros Have Mistrust In God

Exploring these two topics may help you in being able to respond to this loving invitation from God, and it indeed is a loving one!

Be Still

Countercultural Bulwark

Believe me, I can understand if this Scripture falls flat for you. I mean information technology'southward completely countercultural. Especially if you live in a Western culture (which I do). For the states, life is always on the go. Fast, efficient, cheap, quick. Nosotros are bred to succeed. To dream big and piece of work hard to larn all that we desire. It is incredibly ingrained in our beings that we don't even find that it's there.

We are on the go! Stopping and becoming however is not found anywhere, and rarely historic. The people who are admired in our culture are usually very successful, decorated, overworked people. From celebrities to CEOs, to politicians, our role models in the West are most ever people who live the busiest lives.

And we, perchance more than "common people", strive and toil. Equally a upshot, nosotros easily get stressed and worried. Maybe it'due south over friendships, finances, job problems, or school worries. Of course, the listing is endless. We want to be successful and to have harmony in our lives, but we seek out those great qualities through more busyness.

However, if y'all are a Christ follower, then maybe yous find yourself at a crossroads and you may not even realize it.

Because the American Dream doesn't quite fit into the Gospel.

I'm pretty sure we are all cognitively enlightened of this, but I wonder practise our subconsciouses know this?

Jesus' life during his earthly ministry as depicted in the Gospels doesn't actually wait similar the American Dream at all. Sure, it was filled with moments of greatness, simply it was also filled with times of defeat and disappointment. Jesus' life was nearly characterized, nonetheless, by His beloved, closeness, and identity in God.

And that'south just what this verse is pointing to, for both yous and me.

Becoming however earlier God is a do in identity and purpose, just like it was for Jesus. Jesus showed united states of america in His earthly ministry how to humble ourselves like He did. He showed usa how to run to God, and do non exercise things in our forcefulness alone. Jesus non only knew it was important to still Himself before God, but He also wanted and depended on it.

Nosotros find Jesus throughout His earthly ministry quietly retreating, stopping and stilling Himself before God. The Son of God did this because information technology is vital to His identity, ministry building, and purpose.

Just think about how completely countercultural this is to our lives.

I approximate though, this thought can't truly have concord if you don't trust either in the message or messenger.

Trusting God

In order to understand trusting God, we take to become back and claiming our idea of a vindictive God, the meanie from the Quondam Testament. While there is much to say about this perspective, for time'southward sake, let's just focus on one way to handle this, and that is of course through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is quite astonishing, He actually is! Not merely did He die for our sins, merely He helps united states of america understand who God is, how to connect with Him, and how to follow Him.

When nosotros look into the Quondam Testament, i style to brand sense of God is to await at Him through the lens of Jesus Christ. The idea of looking at the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus is referred to in theological circles as "typology", which is a fancy term you can throw downwards at your next Bible study!

Anywho, dorsum to Jesus and the OT. Jesus was the epitome of God'southward love for humanity – literally poured out.

Jesus came to fix the problem that started all the way back in the Garden with Adam and Eve.

You remember those 2, the ones who decided that they wanted to exist similar God and were deceived by the serpent. They're the ii that screwed up everything, and are the reason why we are where we are today, which is not in the Garden and not with God.

Oh, but the story doesn't end there! God's relentless love wouldn't permit united states sideslip through His fingers. He loves too much and His grace is overwhelming. He simply wouldn't, couldn't exit u.s. to our ain devices.

So much of the Sometime Testament is a struggle between God and His people. Even though His people had a really hard time following God and became really confused.

Only this is where Jesus enters the story Jesus. Because Jesus literally stock-still everything.

Enter Jesus.

Jesus was the best "Christian" there ever was, if you want to call up about it that way. Remember, He was both homo and God, only while on the earth, Jesus emptied Himself of His divine power, as Paul describes in Philippians two, and relied solely on the power of the Holy Spirit to attain His tasks.

Well, that'south great news for usa! Seriously, Jesus wasn't this superhuman that we could never measure upwardly, Jesus was just like the states. Ane of His purposes in coming to this globe was to prove us how to follow God. If He did that in annihilation but his human class so it would return useless to us.

Because of Jesus' ministry building and sacrifice on the cross, God once more can dwell with His followers through the power of the Holy Spirit. And this is the same Spirit Jesus relied on in His earthly ministry.

So why is this important?

Because everything hinges on this reality and your understanding of this verse.

To be still and know that God is God, or that God is with you, takes an immense amount of trust and religion.

Trust that:

God is who God says He is.
That God is skilful and worthy of your worries, stresses, anxieties, fears, etc.
That God truly is with you.

If yous practise not trust God, you can never entrust your eye, listen, issues to Him. It's merely not possible.

Trusting God ways receiving His love.

Considering God loves His creation, humanity so much He entered it. He came down to united states, in our mess, to offering usa a way out. This is non a mean untrustable God, only a God total of perfect dearest.

We see this reality through Jesus Christ.

Throughout all of Jesus' ministry, we see Jesus' life characterized by one undeniable fact, He was, and is love.

Jesus came to show u.s. what God is like and how to follow Him. He literally walked us through the procedure. Everything He does in Scripture matters because information technology shows us who God is and how we can respond.

Jesus was constantly stopping and resting with God. He frequently retreated quietly to be with God. Remember Jesus is our case of how to be a follower of God, and if Jesus is practicing this, you better believe it's important.

But information technology's just not the modern approach to living life, is it?

All the same, I believe information technology is the merely way to exist able to plough to God and receive His love and reality of His presence.

Because this is a command and information technology'due south a command of dearest.

Be However.

The Control To Exist Still

When we come to a poesy such every bit "Be nevertheless and know that I am God," we come up up against a lot of the baggage that we comport with u.s.a.. Keep in mind as yous endeavor to practice this command, that not simply do y'all demand to trust God, you must likewise be aware that you are going against what has been engrained in you lot. Being still is non a Western practice. It is a strange concept for united states go-getters!

But there is hope considering nosotros are never able to follow a command of Scripture without simply just running to God to help usa follow it. Weird isn't? That in order to follow God's give-and-take, we have to permit Him accept care of it. That's the beauty of God, He merely wants united states of america to come up running to Him. He knows we can't practise it lone and He never asks or wants usa to do so.

God knows our situation, culture, mistrust in Him and much more. And He withal calls. Calls united states to remember simply who He is. Who is on our side. Who loves us.

We get into tizzies left and right. God knows this about us and provides us with another option; an option to stop and remember who it is that walks with us. An option to be still.

Stopping takes trust. You lot must trust to stop and let get.

Stopping takes Understanding. Understanding that this is not the way the earth works, but it is the manner of the Gospel. The way that brings freedom.

The 2 must exist married Trust + Agreement = Freedom.

Beingness still and knowing God is God takes a lot of humility, agreement, and trust. Only it unlocks freedom. Information technology allows you to unload your worries to your skilful, good parent. God has your all-time interest at hand, He loves you more than than you could ever imagine. He wants y'all to learn to see Him this way and be able to give Him all the things confuse, hurt, scare you. He as well wants to walk with you in the joy and expert times too!

The Lord is giving u.s.a. a wonderful control hither. "Let me do what I do best, which is accept care of you." I exercise think it is important to remind you that, when God takes care of something, it doesn't mean you lot volition be devoid of pain. That may be in store, what you demand to focus on is that you are non alone. God, the Creator of the universe, is walking with yous in the pain and believe it or not, is transforming the pain into something beautiful in yous.

And then exist still Kid of God, and know God is with you lot!

It's really an amazing reality.

Exist still.

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This post was originally created for Spiritually Hungry'south series: Color Your Way Closer to God.

If this resources has helped you, would you please share, in doing you can assist usa brand a more significant impact for the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank you so much! ~Alexis & Aaron