Stand Still and Experience God!

I know you have heard it said so often (and yes, even from me) that we need to slow our pace and activity level and rest in God. He wants to spend more time with us; He wants that ultimate relationship with us because He created us in His image, and He loves us so much! He has so much in store for us ... if only we can give Him the time.

Nothing new here. It is just what God desires. He won't force us to sit quietly; He won't twist our arms to be still; He won't make us feel guilty about the short amount of time with Him. He knows that it is our choice to make. A few minutes here; longer minutes there; back to zero today. Yes, God is talking to me first!!

Why am I bringing this up again? Because I sense that God is directing this to me again!

This morning I was reading from Exodus about the escape of the Israelites from Egypt by way of the Red Sea. In the One Year Chronological Bible (2015, Tyndale House Publishers), the account shows God leading the people through the wilderness area near the Red Sea, and they begin to panic because they could see in the distance the army of Pharoah pushing hard to engulf them back into captivity. God planned this to "display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army" with the purpose of showing His power to the Israelites who would then truly understand that He was their Lord.

As the Israelites began to panic, Moses told them:

In their panicked state, how could they absorb what was happening? Moses told them to "watch the Lord rescue you today". If they were running around, yelling at Moses that the Egyptians were coming; trying to gather their things; trying to find a place to hide, they could not see what God was doing for them. Rescuing them in a most powerful and unimaginable way!! They needed to stand still and experience.

The other reading for me this morning was for February 5 from “Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman, (1997, Zondervan). The scripture is from Isaiah 52:12 You will not leave in haste. The focus: stillness. Allow me to share:

“I do not believe we have even begun to understand the wonderful power there is in being still...This is our problem regarding the Christian life: we want to do something to be Christians, instead of allowing Him to work in us...Think of how still you stand when your picture is being taken...We should be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29). But in order for that to happen, we must stand still."

One more nudge from God came through a blog message on the Whole Woman Conference, Inc website (www.wholewomanconference.com) called WORDS IN MY MIND (posted on DECEMBER 1, 2015 by Rev. Jane Lyon, CEO of WWC, Inc).

“Then came the clarifying question from a sister seasoned & practiced in her trust of and walk with God: “what are you hearing from God?” Wow, that’s the point, I’m not hearing God! So I did what is needed for me to hear God – I found a quiet place, all alone, and practiced “being still.” I experienced silence & stillness.”

Why is God telling me to stand still? I thought that I was spending more time with Him most days. It is not easy for me to physically stand still sometimes. I like to be active and moving. Maybe it's more about the experience of the time rather than the amount of time itself. Maybe I am not necessarily experiencing "silence & stillness". Maybe I am still not seeing/understanding/experiencing what God is doing in my walk and what He wants me to do in this walk.

I am not sure of that answer, but I am sure that I will continue, regardless of what else is going on around me. What does that "look like" for me? Well, it means mediating on these devotionals I have read today; thinking about the scripture for the day and how the Israelites panicked state is just as real today as it was then; thinking of our sons and daughters-in-law as they go about their busy daily lives (how do they stand still??);

pondering other ways to spend time with God; listening to others talk and discern what thoughts God has for me through them. I want to stand still enough to see God rescue me and ultimately seek to experience God in new ways. Are you "being still"? Are you standing still enough to "see" what God is doing in your life/spiritual walk?

Thanks for stopping by,

Rachel