When "Be Still" Means Move Forward - Serenity in Suffering
Sharing my attitude of rest summary from a recent blog post with someone the other day brought up a perplexing thought. While resting in the Lord culminates in deeper trusting of the Lord; we demonstrate trust when “be still” means move forward. Expressed differently, at times, God calls us to “be still” in our hearts and souls, but [in trust] walk out our heart peace in actions of obedience.
Welcome to Mindfulness Monday! Where we learn some easy ways to be more present “in the moment” at our jobs, in our homes, with our families and friends. Learning to recognize God and what He has for us in each divine moment He offers. We acknowledge the belief that God is with us always. We confess His presence is available to us, lifting our spirit and helping us with power and grace. Learning to “be still”, so we can hear His voice and view ourselves, others and our surroundings through His eyes.
be still and know
Psalm 46:10 exhorts us to “be still and know” that God is God. I shared a beautiful meditative method to use this particular verse in fostering a restful attitude before the Lord. Our need for a pause when life serves us unexpected hardship or challenges, provides an opportunity for seeking rest in the safety of God’s Presence.
Yet all too often, we kick into either problem solving or problem denying mode before even considering a pause of stillness. Which unfortunately leads to reactivity fueled anxiety. Facing life’s hardships from a posture of reactive anxiety keeps us viewing hardships as problems we want removed or solved rather than opportunities for spiritual growth or deeper trust and intimacy with God.
knowing god=knowing rest
The treasured gem of Psalm 46:10 comes at the end of a psalm built on acknowledging the power and security in God. Consider the psalmist’s opening:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
How many of your problems involve mountains falling into the sea, or roaring waters set on consuming you? No doubt the trials I face surely feel like my world is crumbling, however, as the psalmist goes on to point out, God stands in our midst, we will not be shaken, as he invites us, “behold the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 46:8) After which we receive the exhortation of “be still”. Knowing the omnipotent God intimately enables the release of anxiety over the hardship we face as we sink into the rest of His secure embrace.
be still and trust
When we shift our posture from one of anxious reactivity to one of surrendered rest, we move to a place of heart stillness. From pausing in the revelation of God’s power and security, our turmoil of heart now silenced, moves us towards a posture of trust.
Without the pause facilitating the shift in focus from problem to Almighty God, inviting us into secure rest; trusting God in our current affliction remains an impossibility. Moving towards trusting God while in a state of anxiety and overwhelm cannot happen. In essence, trust comprises the relinquishing of questions and outcome attachment completely to God, which flows only from a place of heart stillness.
when be still means move forward
At times, we manifest resting in the Lord through literal rest: a cessation of our activity in physical stillness. While at other times, we demontrate resting in the Lord through an action of trust from a place of heart stillness. Moses and the Israelites modeled both postures for us in Exodus 14:13-15, when the Israelites fleeing Egypt and Pharoah came to the Red Sea with the Egytian army in hot pursuit:
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?” Tell the Israelites to move on.
As we know from Exodus 14:10, when the Israelites saw Pharoah’s army, terror struck through their hearts. Moses’ response directs them simply “be still”; God will fight for them. On one hand it seems Moses states the obvious; what other options lay open for them? The Red Sea stood as an obstacle before them, the Egyptian army behind.
On the other hand, Moses’ directive aimed at stilling the terror of their hearts, not the physical position of their bodies. But then we witness a phenomenal response from God, as he rebukes Moses and the Israelites for crying out to Him, telling them rather “move on”.
Trusting means moving
Contrary to the sarcastic, doubt riddled remark from the Israelites in Exodus 14:11-12, complaining Moses [God} brought them into the wilderness to die at the hand of Pharoah’s army, God, through Moses promised complete deliverance from Egypt puncuated by the destruction of Egypt through the ten plagues.
Sadly, my voice echoes the same failure of faith in God’s promises and complaints when faced with affliction. The command to “be still” transposed fear into faith moving the focus back to God and His promised faithfulness instead of on the impossible obstacle in front of them. God gives us the perfect example of when “be still” means move forward in Exodus 14. Simply verbalizing trust in God while standing still lacks authenticity. Only when Moses raised his staff and the Israelites moved forward into the Red Sea did they receive the full impact of God’s miraculous deliverance.
Practical Help For Moving From Rest to Trust
We all face Red Sea moments in our lives. Those moments when uncertainty dulls the remembrance of God’s goodness and past faithfulness while pain stifles hope. At those times we must pause and pursue heart stillness that we may then move forward trusting God. Here are five practical ways for moving forward in trust.
- Pause. This involves both a physical and heart level pause. Choose a quiet place and sit down; breathe. Slowly inhale and exhale bringing your focus to your breath and God’s Presence with you. As you feel your heart rate slow down, begin meditating on a favorite verse. Isaiah 26:3-4 often ushers me into heart stillness.
- Pray. Bring the problem to God; stick to facts without embellishing your request with emotions and desired outcomes.
- Remember. Call to mind with gratitude times of God’s past faithfulness in your life. Journal this out and include verses He revealed to you and promises from His Word.
- Rest. Linger in the place of intimacy created through pausing, praying and remembering in gratitude. Trust is created in the intimacy of relationship; resting in God’s secure embrace births the trust required for full surrender.
- Move. Move forward as God leads, leaving questions and desired outcomes in His hands.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength
moving forward in trust
In some of life’s hard situations, our heart felt need cries out for the stillness of God’s secure Presence, where physical rest beckons. Where all God requires is the quiet trust of complete inactivity. While in other situations, when “be still” means move forward, a quiet pause yields a respite from a harsh reality, but urges a commitment of trust through continuation of the journey.
Either way, when we pursue stillness rather than reactive anxiety, we grow in our knowledge and experience of God, forging a deeper intimacy with Him from which trust becomes a natural outpouring.
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