Friday, May 15, 2015

Be Still, and Know That I Am God

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

"In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15)

The men who spoke these words were no mere theorists. They had personal proofs of the mighty working of God for those who wait upon Him and wait for Him. God Himself is no mere theorist. He is only interested in that which has vital and spiritual results. He invites us to know - that is, to prove - that He is indeed God almighty. He also shows us how we may come to this knowledge. It is by obeying His command, "Be still."

What does it mean to "be still"? Perhaps it will help us if we consider some occasions in which God's people passed through such experiences, times in which they were reduced to silence, and as a result had marvelous proofs that He is indeed the living God.

Victory At Jericho

A notable instance of this was what took place at the fall of Jericho. When those great fortress-walls fell flat, it was abundantly evident that God is God. This, however, did not happen until God's people had first passed through the severe discipline of quietness and confidence. "And Joshua commanded the people, saying, "Ye shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout ..." (Joshua 6:10). In this threefold command Joshua insisted that the people were not to shout, not to converse, not even to whisper, while they continued their daily march around the citadel.

This seems to be a good illustration of the spiritual truth which we are seeking to grasp, for it makes it clear that to "be still" does not mean to be paralyzed, to be idle, to be passive. For their silence was part of their activity of faith. Every day they rose early, and every day they walked right around Jericho's walls. But as they walked there was a special manner in which they had to proceed, they had to maintain complete silence. As they looked up at those massive fortifications, they must have been tempted to comment on their impossible task. This was not allowed. They may have felt the kind of emotions which make us want to speak, to say something, to say anything, only to speak in order to keep up our spirits. This was also forbidden. Divine power is not produced by human optimism. Other matters may have sprung to their minds, the happenings of the past, or the prospects for the future. No! to begin to chatter would have dissipated their spiritual concentration, distracting them from the one issue in hand. Their march had to be in quietness and in confidence. They had to keep marching, but also they had to be still. The only sound was that of the trumpets, which were blown as a simple affirmation of faith in the Lord's power.

Such affirmations are a part, and a necessary part, of our quiet confidence in the Lord. But when we talk, it is so often to reason, to argue, to complain about failures or to offer suggestions as to what should be done. When God's people spend their time talking there is little or no evidence of God's power among them. They may decide to their satisfaction what is wrong. They may even know the one thing which matters, and that is that He is God. For that it is necessary to be still.

~Harry Foster~

(continued with # 2 - (The Valley of Blessing)

[Harry Foster was a co-companion of T. Austin-Sparks and a writer in the magazine, "A Witness and A Testimony"]

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.