On Being Still

Are you an ants-in-your-pants Christian?


Our Families In Training (FIT) class at Corner-Stone this week was about being still in The Lord. Easy enough, right?

Or is it?

I mean, I can be still. I can be quiet. I can "chillax". But is that me resting in The Lord, or is it just me exercising good manners?

I admit, it's hard to be still, these days. Sensory excitement is no more than a click, a tap or a URL or app, away. It's just so doggone easy to stay busy.

And, as a middle-aged man who grew up watching my male role models define their manhood (largely) by success and hard work, it almost feels disrespectful to not have something to do.

What's the saying?..."You can rest when you're dead".

Most of us have this problem with truly doing nothing. Why, in our world, are we so opposed to not having something to do? Is that what God is talking about? Is that what "being still" is?

We might think it means praying. But that's mostly talking, isn't it? Maybe it's reading our Bibles. But that's still being active. That's being still, in body. But what if God means something more than that? Something deeper?

My mama used to ask me if I had ants in my pants...when I was little, of course. And my kids seem to have the same tendencies.

I wonder though, if God is asking me the same thing, spiritually, today? Can I not be still, for just a few minutes?

God desires us to stop and listen to Him. To cease our spiritual wiggling. To be still.

Why? Well for one, we hear Him best when we allow ourselves to be still. How can we hear Gods voice when we won't stop telling Him what we want Him to tell us to do?

Another, maybe deeper aspect, is that being still lowers our walls. It exposes us and makes us vulnerable. That might not sound so hot though. And why?

Well, lowering our defenses isn't something we want to do in the presence of an enemy. Opening ourselves up leaves us open for attack from those who would seek to hurt us or take something from us.

But why in the world would we be that way toward God?

Because maybe we don't truly trust Him to choose the right path for us. Maybe we can't shut up because we're afraid. Maybe we refuse to be still because we feel the need to work it out on our own.

When we stop and be still and listen to God's direction, we say "God, I trust You. I know You will lead me into what is best for me".

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Life Challenge: Determine to spend time, each day, being spiritually still. Listen to God. Wait for Him and long to receive His guidance. It won't be easy at first, but will become a necessity, before long.

In the Word: Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Prayer: My good and caring Father, I know that You only desire what is good for me. That You have blessing for me and not a curse. Please forgive my unwillingness to listen to You. And help me to learn how stilling my heart and my mind can draw me closer to You and Your words of life for me. Amen.