Be Still and Learn

Good morning, friends! 

Can you believe this is already our fifth meditation on Be Still? As part of Music Camp 2015, we have pondered so far:

Be Still and Pray

Be Still and Read

Be Still and Hear

Be Still and Heed

I don’t know about you but I have been challenged, convicted, and encouraged these past few days. My eyes have been opened to see my tendency is to run away from spiritual stillness seeking instead to be in control of my life.

Yes, control. I want it. However, control belongs to God. Our theme, Be Still, has led me to see how incredibly arduous it is (was, has been, always will be) for me to surrender—yield and renounce—any and all control to God. This week, I am finding out our theme verse, “Be still and know that I am God” is waging war with every fiber of my being. In fact, it reveals an inner struggle that has heretofore lain dormant my entire life—all I feel I want is . . . control.

Left to itself, my heart wants to be in charge of the nature and timing of my every circumstance. It demands that every situation facing me be predictable, tidy, non-intrusive, quantifiable, and neatly packed. It begs to suffer only a one-touch, one-time encounter with any nuisance, annoyance, encumbrance, etc.

Thanks be to God, this is not to be. Be Still tells me God has a different perspective. The Father has more beautiful mercies for me. The invitation to embrace spiritual stillness points me to a Monarch who loves me and who is in control of my circumstances—every single one of them.

The psalmist says it this way, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me" (Psalm 139:1-5, ESV).

I can only pray you have had a similar experience because our God is sufficiently aware of every item in our lives. Only He can fight and conquer the daily struggles you and I face. Our winning the race of true life is guaranteed only when you and I turn over all control to the Father and run in Christ's footsteps—choosing the stillness of dying to our selfishness and allowing His righteousness to live within.

So, let us say yes to the Lord’s invitation to be still and know that He is God. Let us say yes to everything we are expected to render. For Christ said to the Pharisees,

"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 

and to God the things that are God's."

Matthew 22:21, ESV

We do not have a pass. We are not an exception to God’s expectations. We are to give Christ our whole hearts. We are called to give and love and sacrifice like everyone else. We are to face every issue, earthquake, tornado, and relationship knowing the Master Himself is in control.

The Holy Spirit and the Word convict me today that when I try to be in charge, I do a pretty bad job running things meant for the Master’s hands. So, now, I confess and admit I am weary and burdened so that I might come to Jesus where rest, peace, spiritual stillness is waiting for me. My prayer is that you and I will continue to draw ever closer to Jesus, our great High Priest.

Some of you may feel that you do not need a priest in your life. Many of you are not Catholic and so you may wonder why I didn’t use the word pastor or elder or something like that. You see, my reason for using the word ‘priest’ is a Biblical one. Get this: our heavenly Father is a most awesome and holy God; as sinful humans, you and I cannot approach Him on our own. (This is a topic we discussed at length in 2010 when purity was our theme.) Since we do not have direct access to the Father on our own merit, we need a mediator who would connect us to the Father—the writer of Hebrews calls such a one a priest, a high priest.

The Word teaches us that Jesus is the very priest, the great High Priest you and I need. Now, you may say, “But of course, we have already established that Jesus is God. This priesthood came to Him naturally.” And I will have to say to you, “Hang on a second.” Listen to what the Word says about the priesthood:

“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest . . . During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:4-5a, 7-10).

There is so much to unpack there but we don’t have enough time for now; I encourage you to meditate on the above passage later and pray for more of God’s revelation to you. For now, let this suffice: Jesus, as the Son, did NOT take matters into His own hands. He chose to be still . . . and pray and read and hear and heed . . . He chose to suffer and therefore, chose to be still and learn . . . what? He learned obedience through suffering and was thus made perfect . . . and was therefore designated by the Father to be high priest.

In order for you or me or anyone who believes to have direct access to the Father, Christ had to and chose to be still and learn.

He was still as He underwent excruciating pain on the Cross. He chose to be still and learn sweet, costly obedience through:

-       the bitterness of His cup of suffering

-       the slumber that kept His disciples from praying with Him in Gethsemane

-       the treason of Judas

-       the fleeing of His disciples

-       the mockery of His trials

-       the denial of Peter

-       the false charges against Him

-       the thirty-nine lashes at His flogging

-       the numerous insults hurled at Him

-       the slapping of His face

-       the piercing of His side

-       the persistence of sin in the world

-       and the abandonment He felt when He cried out to His Father, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?

What about you and me? Is there suffering going on in our lives? Is there a situation that is so heart-wrenching that we’re saying, “Oh no, Lord, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but Yours be done”?

Please, hear what the Spirit is revealing. You and I are invited to be still and learn. Like with Jesus, there is much at stake for the Kingdom of God in our response to the Father’s invitation. Although God does not need you and me to achieve His perfect work of salvation, He takes great joy in inviting you and me to take part in it. He is asking us to accept His invitation to be still and learn.

He says, “Be not afraid. All that needed to take place to bridge the gap between My holiness and your sinfulness already took place on the Cross. Remember how Christ said ‘It is finished’? Well, it’s true, my child. He is your high priest and has already sacrificed Himself to purify you from your sins. Feel free to come to Me because your account is paid in full.

Come to My throne of grace. Come to Me with freedom and confidence. By the blood of Jesus, enter the Most Holy Place. Draw near to Me with a sincere and vulnerable heart in full assurance of faith, cleansed from a guilty conscience and washed with the pure water of My Word.

Come to Me, my child, when you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Come to Me when you are thirsty, come to the waters and drink. Come to Me, you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without cost. Come to Me, you who are barren and sing a song more joyful than that of the woman who has ten children. Come to Me, you who are ridiculed and mocked for walking in the path of righteousness, great is your reward in heaven. Come to Me, you who mourn and grieve, I will comfort you and sing over you. Come, come, come.”

He motions for us to come because He wants us to learn from Him. As we come to Him, He says, “Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good. Taste and see that I am good. Eat my Word, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live. Seek Me while I may be found; call on Me while I am near. Turn away from your wicked ways and your evil thoughts. Come to Me and I will have mercy on you; turn to Me and I will freely pardon.”

Why is it so important for us to listen to the Father? Deuteronomy 4:10 sheds some light on that for us, “Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when He said to me, ‘Assemble the people before Me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere Me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” Furthermore, Deuteronomy 14:23 admonishes, “learn to revere the Lord your God always.”

Did you catch that? Listening to the Word of the Father brings us to learn to revere Him as long as we live AND to teach His Word to both our spiritual and physical children.

Are you and I learning to revere God?

Are you and I learning to teach God’s Word to our spiritual and physical children?

If not, then let this be an encouragement and a nudge: Let us listen to His Word. Let us be still and learn. Let us know Him as our God, the One who will be exalted among the nations, the One who will be exalted in the earth NO MATTER WHAT.

When you and I face a new crisis, let us remember the simple fact that we don't know what we don't know. Yet, let us care all the same that we don't know. And therefore, let us learn, pray, read, hear, heed, and research.

If we think specific individuals are the problem, let us look into their eyes. Let us read their sorrowful or even scornful notes. Let us hear and listen to their heartfelt stories. Let us grow in wisdom as we research their hurtful actions and pray for the Lord's blessing over them.

And let us care.

And let us love.

And let us help.

And let us empathize.

And let us be still and learn from the Holy Spirit and partner with the Father who is in control of all situations. He will use our learning to spread the fragrance of love and grace wherever our feet tread.

Let us pray:

Father, do in us, O precious Lord, that which only You can do so that You can do through us all that Your heart desires. We choose to accept Your invitation to be still and pray and read and hear and heed and learn that You are God. Be exalted among the nations; be exalted in the earth. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen!