Be Still and Love

Good morning, everyone! David says, in Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests to You and wait in expectation.” Let us, likewise, lift up our voices and hearts to God. Would you pray in your heart right now?

We have been walking on this road of spiritual stillness for over a week now and have considered six daily themes:

Be Still and Pray

Be Still and Read

Be Still and Hear

Be Still and Heed

Be Still and Learn

Be Still and Praise

For this whole camp, our theme is Be Still, based on Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Holy Spirit has convicted and challenged us to be still and pray first when troubles come our way, to be still and read His Word first when we are afraid, to be still and hear His voice first when the hiss of Satan’s white noise is overwhelming our ears, to be still and heed His commands and voice first when the Spirit of God speaks to the bride of Christ, to be still and learn God’s wisdom first when crises tempt us to entertain idle notions of self-focus and self-sufficiency, to be still and praise the Lord of hosts first when the folly of our fuzzy brains and hyperactive lips seeks to convince us to whine and grumble in difficult circumstances.

Be still.

And know.

Know what?

Know that the Lord is God. Know that the Lord will be exalted among the nations, in the earth.

Know that how?

Know that the Lord is God in prayer, in reading the Word, in hearing the Word of Christ, in heeding the discipline and wisdom of God’s revelation, in learning Christ’s obedience and High priesthood through suffering, in praising Christ specifically who is God.   

Do you and I know that the Lord is God? Do we see the Lord as a shield around us, lifting up our heads (Ps. 3:3) when we are tempted to cower under the enemy’s darts? Do we picture Him as the One who surrounds the righteous with His favor as with a shield (Ps. 5:12)? Do you and I believe that He is our rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, stronghold, and the horn of our salvation (Ps, 18:2)?

Be Still invites us to rely on our Lord to be the lamp for our feet and the light for our path (Ps. 119:105) when spiritual darkness and frost seek to overwhelm our wavering hearts. Be Still invites us to accept His offer to be our buckler, absorber, buffer, shelter, and bumper when life gets rocky—as is often the case.

Today, we are moving forward in our pondering Be Still as we focus on “Be Still and Love.” Spiritual stillness, the Holy Spirit reveals, is the heart place that conditions our hearts to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

As I think of “Be Still and Love,” I think of the relationship between God and His chosen people Israel. The Lord told Israel to be still and know Him as God. However, Israel’s pattern was this: When in trouble, they would cry out to God for help; when help came, they would quickly revert to their old ways. Did such a pattern describe Israel’s love to God and onlookers? Through the prophet Hosea, God told them what He thought, “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.” (Hosea 6:4)

If the morning mist is the definition of our love, then it is short-lived.

If the early dew is the foundation of our love, then it crumbles fast.

Could THAT definition, THAT foundation be said of you and of me on the other side of our troubles? Be Still invites us to pray to the Lord, asking Him to spare us from displaying such flimsy, half-hearted love toward Him and His children.

For us, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a paints a vivid and practical portrait of biblical love in spiritual stillness, explaining that love . . .

. . . is patient. How patient are we with God? We often say that God is slow, too slow in responding to our cries. Bob Rice says, “God doesn’t act quickly, He acts suddenly.” When we least expect it, He answers our prayers and blows us away completely.

How patient are we with the people around us? Do we suffer long and wait patiently? Do we realize that it may take others longer than it does us to perform certain tasks? Do we understand the beauty, joy, and gratitude of patient stillness in the Lord?

. . . is kind. How kind are we toward God? The Word describes Christ as gentle, humble, meek, and tender. In our responses to Him, could we be described as gentle, humble, meek, and tender?

How do we express kindness to those around us? Do we offer the other cheek when slapped? Is tenderness part of our vocabulary?

. . . does not envy. Do you and I covet God’s sovereignty and rule? Do you and I resent the fact that NO MATTER WHAT the Lord will be exalted among the nations and in the earth whereas all our striving and fretting will come to naught?

How much jealousy inspires the nature of our relationships with those placed in our lives? Do we yearn for everything our neighbors possess?

. . . does not boast. Do you and I boast of what we will do today and tomorrow without even acknowledging God’s will for our lives? Do you and I realize that the One who is qualified to boast chooses to gently promise instead?

Do we seek to only boast in Christ or do we aim to elevate ourselves? Does our boasting serve to build up or tear down others?

. . . is not proud. When we cry out to God in moments of distress and concern, are we selfishly seeking to order God around according to our tastes and preferences? Or, when we realize the true nature of our rebellion against God, are we quick to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord?

Are we imitating Christ’s humility or do we take pride in our flesh? Is it more important for us to be right or for the other person to feel loved by us?

. . . is not rude. Do our deeds, thoughts, and words grieve the Holy Spirit? Does our behavior reflect worship and sweet surrender?

Do our words inflict pain on others or do they bring healing? Are we sensitive to the needs of others or are we contentious and overbearing?

. . . is not self-seeking. Do we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Do we place the concerns of others above our very own?

. . . is not easily angered. Do we readily become angry when troubles lumber through the door of our hearts?

Do we exercise self-control and give people the benefit of the doubt? Is our tendency to maintain a sour face and/or get into fits of rage, quarreling or bickering?

. . . keeps no record of wrongs. Do we thoughtlessly ruminate on all the ways in which the Lord is ‘unfair’ to us, whining and grumbling about what He allows in our lives, and pining over the garlic and onions of our own version of Egypt?

Do we keep a catalog of wrongs committed against us or do we let go? Do we remember the biblical statement, “love covers all wrongs”?

. . . does not delight in evil. Do we dare to call harmless what God calls sin? Do we withhold hospitality to the outcast and the stranger out of convenience?

Do we spend time indulging in and inviting others to partake in activities that God has declared evil or worldly? Do we omit to live sacrificially in all matters?

. . . rejoices with the truth. Does the truth—God’s Word—cause us to rejoice? Do we delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night?

Do we speak truth to all people even when it is unpopular? Do we handle God’s truth with reverence and grace?

. . . always protects. Do we embrace the grace and righteousness of Christ in such a way that the Word of God is maligned?

Do we bank on God’s Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to protect those entrusted to our care or do we let them fall prey to the schemes of Satan?

. . . always trusts. Do we trust God with the situations and individuals placed before us?

Do we undercut authority figures? Do we damage the names of others based on suspicions and doubts?

. . . always hopes. Do we steadfastly hold onto the hope that Christ has His best in mind for us?

Do we believe in Christ, the hope of glory, for the future betterment of our broken relationships?

. . . always perseveres. Do we hold onto to the revelation we’ve received from Christ, being mindful of the Lord’s impending return?

Do we ask God to strengthen our grip of faith in Christ while continuing to invest in others even when we are given the cold shoulder treatment?

. . . never fails. Do we accept that the arm of the Lord is never too short to save, His ear never too dull to hear?

Do we truly believe that love lifts up, offers a helping hand to those who falter, and always changes things for the better?

Such exemplary love points both others and us to the gentle and generous Healer who responded to the Father’s invitation to be still in the Garden of Gethsemane on that Great Thursday night some 2000 years ago. His stillness has yielded so much—the strengthening of His resolve to face Death and conquer it, the sharpening of His focus to meditate on the Holy Scriptures throughout the torture that Friday would bring, and the saving grace needed for the ransom of all sinners who accept and receive His offer or life. What wondrous love is this! May we pray that we, too, would embrace the spiritual stillness of crucifying the flesh in deference to God and laying down our lives for our neighbors!