Devotionals

Stand Still

In today's world, it's hard to stand still and be patient. It's easy to get worked up over the many issues that we all face today, both as a collective group and as individuals. Speaking for myself here, I find it so easy to get anxious about anything, to get discouraged, and to feel as if I myself am lost and without cause.

I want to take a look at the Old Testament in general in this devotional. My pastor identified a pattern that some of us have picked up on from the Old Testament, and it's this: When God's children aren't doing as they should (backsliding, not living for God, being okay with sin, etc.), he uses hard times to bring them back to him, as if to say, "you act as if you don't need me. I'll show you that you do."

For example, Jerusalem (at the beginning of the Old Testament) was a highly regarded place. It was well established, having people who lived for God in its midst. Later, though, Jerusalem started backsliding into sin and worshipping idols.

Of course, God did not (and still doesn't) like idols. Jerusalem was then attacked by Babylon. This attack, though hard to overcome, helped the people of Jerusalem to realize that they needed to repent and return to God. A prophet named Jeremiah realized all that was happening because of Jerusalem's backslidings and lived through the attack by Babylon. He had to stand still and trust God to be able to endure it.

The entire book of Lamentations is one of sorrow, as Jeremiah expresses the pain and grief following the loss of Jerusalem and many of its people to Babylon. In my NKJV Study Bible, the preface to this book says, "In the face of death and destruction, with life seemingly coming apart, Jeremiah turns tragedy into a triumph of faith. God has never failed him in the past. God has promised to remain faithful in the future. In the light of the God he knows and loves, Jeremiah finds hope and comfort."

Even with an incredibly long list of problems to worry about and a heart filled with grief for the people of Jerusalem, Jeremiah found comfort in God's promises. Most importantly, he stood still.

By standing still, I don't mean physically standing in one spot, doing nothing. I mean placing all of your cares on God, trusting that he will take care of them in his time. Having patience is an incredible virtue, and it's hard to have patience sometimes when we want nothing more than to get what we want immediately.

It's easy to pray for deliverance for a storm, but it's hard to pray for endurance as you face a storm.

Genesis 22 demonstrates a tremendous leap of faith by Abraham, who was tested by God. God asked that Abraham would take his son, Issac, to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on a mountain (Genesis 22:2 NKJV). On the way there, Issac asked his father, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (Genesis 22:7 NKJV).

Abraham trusted that "God will provide" for his need for a sacrifice (verse 8). Until a ram appeared on the mountain top right before Abraham nearly stabbed Issac, Abraham kept doing as he was asked to do by God in a test of faith. This trust, endurance, and hope are what it means to stand still and trust God.

Another example of standing still (that more of us can easily identify with, that is) is found in 2 Chronicles. In chapter 20, Jehoshaphat has learned that the people of Moab, Ammon, and others were plotting to attack Judah/Jerusalem. After learning of this, Jehoshaphat gathered with the people of Judah to plead with God for help, and to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat prayed, "If disaster comes upon us- sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine- we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple) and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save" (2 Chronicles 20:9 NKJV).

Instead of worrying, gathering an army, etc., Jehoshaphat first prayed and pleaded with the Lord. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord was embodied in a man named Jahaziel. He said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you" (2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NJKV).

So, the people went out against their enemies the next day, doing all they had been instructed to do. The battle was not theirs, but God's. By standing still, they watched the events unfold as their enemies destroyed themselves, leaving a trail of riches behind.

I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to stay still when I know something bad could happen. If I had been Jehoshaphat, I would have gathered an army and stayed up that night, filled with paranoia and anxiety about the next day. I would have messed things up terribly, simply because I would have refused to stay still and at ease!

Trusting God sounds easy, but when put into practice, it's sometimes hard to do. At least, it is for me. Standing still is so incredibly important.

Instead of focusing your mind immediately on worrying about a situation, follow Jehoshaphat's example and pray to God first, placing your trust in him. Follow Abraham's example and do as you were instructed until you know to do differently. But whatever you do, have patience. Stand still and wait for the Lord. Going back to the point I made at the beginning of this devotional, God has a pattern of showing us that we need him.

Take the sign and recognize that you need God and how important it is to stay still and trust him!

After all, it's worth it.

I hope this message blessed you in some way, but if I spoke to no one else, I spoke to myself. I need this message as much as the next person who has a hard time waiting for God and trusting his divine timing. That's not to say that I don't trust God, but that I certainly find myself anxious and discouraged from time to time.

I believe Abraham and Jehoshaphat were also discouraged and anxious about the situations they were going to face, but through trusting God and standing still, they made it through it, and I believe all of us are capable of doing the same.

God bless you!

NB