There
are many books and articles about stress and how to reprioritise your life.
This is not one of them – this one starts to address how we are to stop…full
stop.
It
is not to say that slowness is to be confused with ‘no-ness,’ that is doing
nothing. We are often told to stop being busy, which is a negative command,
whereas to be still is a positive attribute so that we can assess in order to
move on.
The
objective of this article is totally different in that we are called not just
to juggle our priorities around so that we fit things into our schedule, but we
are called to be still. Time is a precious commodity and you are spending some
of it in reading this book.
It
might seem like an oxymoron; but, in taking time to stand back, taking in God’s
perspective, we can actually achieve more.
As
I am writing these words, I realise that, as one finger is pointing out to you,
there are three pointing back to me. I have been informed by my wife that, when
I die, the words on my tombstone will be: ‘Must get on.’ I have this tendency
to rush, even when I think I have my list of what is both important and urgent.
However,
to my shame, I have overlooked the fact that my Redeemer God has wanted to
spend time with me. The psalmist reminds us: ‘Taste and see that the Lord is
good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.’ (Psalm 34: 8) We can hardly
taste the good things of God if we treat Him like we have bolted down our meal.
We cannot say that we have taken refuge in Him if we are too busy undertaking
all of the other tasks that we deem to be of a higher priority than Jesus.
We
had a friend who would not drive on motorways, as he always drove on the lesser
roads. It is a reminder that, sometimes, we need to drive on the motorways that
are in our lives (deadlines do not meet themselves); but there are many other
occasions when we need to take the slower roads, take the detours or even stop
altogether.
The
theme of this article can be seen in another psalm:
God
is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore,
we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the
heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with
their surging.
There
is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the
Most High dwells.
God
is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts
his voice the earth melts.
The
Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come
and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He
makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the
spear, he burns the shields with fire.
Be
still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth.
The
Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm
46: 1 – 11
It
has been said that: ‘Busyness kills more Christians than bullets.’ Kevin de
Young then proceeded to write: ‘How many sermons are stripped of their power by
lavish dinner preparations and Premier League football? How many moments of
pain are wasted because we never sat still enough to learn from them? How many
times of private and family worship have been crowded out by sport and school projects?
We need to guard our hearts. The seed of God’s Word won’t grow to fruitfulness
without pruning for rest, quiet and calm.’[1]
It
is so easy to miss out on God’s blessings because we are too much of rush to
take in what we have been blessed with. It is like, at Christmas time, quickly
stripping away the wrapping, being amazed by the present and then placing it to
one side without taking another look at it.
A
W Tozer has helpfully written: ‘When you kill time, remember that it has no
resurrection.’[2]
The
encouraging thing is that you are sitting down to read this article, which is
the start of your journey of being still and knowing God – who He is and
deepening our relationship with Him.
Comments