Annie
Scriptures:
Psalm 46:10
Psalm 42
“I’m supposed to be meditating, but, whenever I try, all I can think of is string beans and laundry”. Words spoken by a fictional character, but words that resonated so much in my soul. Maybe not string beans and laundry, but a surfeit of the everyday to-do lists and worries that crowd in as I make the decision to come before the Throne Room and be quiet with God.
That verse that we all know so well in Psalm 46, exhorts us to “be still”, to cease from striving, to desist. For me, and I suspect many more of us, this is so much easier said than done, but this is no reason to give up. How often did Jesus physically remove Himself from the clamour that was His constant companion during His ministry? If Jesus needed that time to simply be still, then so do we, in bucket loads.
Over the past few weeks as we approach Calvary and the Resurrection, we have have been reflecting on preparing our hearts and what it means for us today. We have thought about the spiritual battles that confront us at this time in Church history, battles that also faced the faithful, God fearing spokespeople for God down the ages. We have remembered how Jesus Himself reminded His disciples to look to their history and see how often God warned His people to keep themselves pure, to remain set apart, and how this requires diligence and every day choices on our behalf. All of these lessons are foundational for understanding what it is to simply be still and know Who it is that we are preparing our hearts to meet.
Our God will not, and cannot, be swayed by the swirling tides of our emotions, our fears, our ceaseless striving to try and solve the issues that break our hearts, and end up exhausting us physically and mentally. He is our Holy God, Creator of all, our Rock and our Redeemer. He is above all and Ruler of all. Yet, He is our Abba Father, Who is holding out His arms, ready to wrap us in His infinite, steadfast Love, that Love that sacrificed all at Calvary, so that we can see Him face to Face.
So, desist, stop striving. Deliberately, intentionally, with great confidence, declare that, whatever battle our mind wants us to grapple with, Christ is already victorious. He has overcome the world, not bits of it, ALL of it. All of the depravity, all of the contention, all of the apostasy, all of the insidious evil that pervades this earth, has been defeated on that tremendous day at Calvary. Declare the victory with a thankful, humble heart. And allow that glorious victory to pervade your whole being. Allow God to pour His blessed assurance into your heart so that you will simply be still.
I find myself writing these words at a time when my heart is breaking, at a time when I feel totally helpless to fix the lives of those I love so dearly, at a time when being still seems so far out of reach. Yet, however I feel, the victory that Christ won at Calvary is the absolute, wonderful reality. We have all been given our own particular “cup” to drink, what we need to tell our broken hearts is that we do not drink it alone.
The writer of Psalm 42, in the midst of his trouble and fear, declares that his hope is in the Lord God and he will praise Him. From his words, he clearly does not feel like praising, the to and fro of his thoughts reveal that he is telling his own heart to praise, despite his feelings. And from that praise, that declaration of God being his only Hope, flows the stillness that he craves, the rest from striving that his heart needs.
It is time, dear friends, to lay our burdens down, raise our eyes to our Lord God and praise Him for His super abundant, overflowing love and grace towards us. It is time to allow Him to still our hearts, to banish the string beans and laundry, and rest ourselves against Him, listening to His Heartbeat.
Prayer: Abba Father, there is no other word save thanksgiving from a heart overwhelmed by Your Love, so freely poured out when the victory was gloriously won at Calvary for all who will turn to You in repentance and awe. Thank You, Amen
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