Be Still and Read

Good morning, everyone! It is truly a good morning because today is the day that the Lord has made; so we will rejoice and be glad in it. Our camp theme is, Be Still. And our theme verse is Psalm 46:10, which reads, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ ”

How still is your heart this morning? In my walk with Christ so far, I have found each time I begin meditating upon a particular portion of Scripture there is an oppressive force trying its hardest to lure me into embracing just the opposite. I say this as a warning to you that these next few days, and even after the camp ends, you will find numerous opportunities to fret and worry, or to grab and snatch, instead of entering the patient stillness God graciously offers you.

Yesterday, we were blessed to learn how stillness is a place wherein we come to find rest and learn from God. Its definition echoes the Teacher’s invitation we find in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

There is so much upon which you and I can ponder. 

The first thing I see is Christ who stands with arms extended inviting you and me and everyone else who is weary and burdened to come to Him. Did you see that? In Matthew 11:28, Christ says rest or stillness is something He gives—stillness is a precious gift. Yet, in order for you and me to receive the gift of spiritual stillness, the Father both commands and invites us to come.

Can I insert here that when you and I are overly distraught and troubled, it is because we accept some lies: “It’s ok to passively indulge a grumbling spirit.” Or, “There’s no harm in wallowing in self-pity.” Or, “It’s fine to worry about everything that could go wrong.”

Friends, we’ve been given good news telling us to counter every lie with truth, God’s truth. So, instead of remaining in the pit of passivity (doing nothing that bears spiritual fruit), we are to be active in coming to Christ, walking toward Christ (bearing fruit in every good work).

Herein lies a spiritual paradox (expression with contradictory words) for us:

Being still is not passive;

Being still is as active as genuine faith gets.

Being still is coming to Christ daily, hourly, continually.

The second thing I see in that Matthew passage is this: In order to be still or to receive Christ’s rest, which basically means in order to come to Christ, you and I need to first admit and confess we are weary and burdened.

Are you and I weary and burdened today? 

I think of so many hymns and songs that have helped me with this concept:

1. “Weak and wounded sinner

Lost and left to die

O, raise your head for love is passing by

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus and live”

2. “Come, every soul by sin oppressed;

There’s mercy with the Lord,

And He will surely give you rest

By trusting in His Word.

Refrain

Only trust Him, only trust Him,

Only trust Him now;

He will save you, He will save you,

He will save you now.”

3. “Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, love and pow’r.

Refrain:

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.”

The third thing I see from the Matthew passage is this: We are to take His yoke. In other words, if we want to be still, if we want to come to Christ, if we admit and confess that we are weary and burdened, taking Christ’s yoke means a complete transfer—Christ takes our yoke; we take His. 

Christ takes our wounds and stripes; we take His healing. 

Christ takes our weakness; we take His strength. 

Christ takes our sorrow and pain; we take His joy. 

Christ takes the worries of our hearts; we take the worship of His name. 

Christ takes our wretchedness; we take His righteousness. 

Christ takes our death; we take His life.

I don’t know about you but that’s the kind of yoke I want . . . and need. No wonder He adds later, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” With that kind of yoke, of course you and I can be commanded AND invited to be still. Don’t you see? Christ takes our nothing; we take His everything. THAT’s our God! That’s our Creator! That’s our Father! THAT’S our King!

And once we have His yoke, then we can learn from Him.

Friends, have you and I been having trouble learning from God lately? Do we find ourselves falling asleep when a sermon is being preached? Or, if given a choice between watching a 3-hour long movie and having a 3-hour study time in the Word, which option would readily grab our hearts?

Could it be that you and I are trying to learn from Christ without taking on His yoke? Could it be that you and I approach the Father’s classroom with crusty hearts and prideful brains? See, there can be no learning being done when the yoke is hard and the burden heavy. There can be no learning when the heart is crusty instead of soft, when the mind is prideful instead of humble. Learning happens when we imitate Christ’s characteristics.

He is gentle and humble.

You think, “Oh, that’s easy. I can be gentle. I can be the most humble musician at camp.” Jesus says, (and I’m paraphrasing), “No, dear one. Not on your own strength. But it is possible if you remember that I am the Vine, and you are but a branch. If you remain in Me, fruit will abound; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Being still is thus remaining in Him, remaining attached to the Vine of Christ. Hence, Mother Teresa exhorts:

"Let us all become a true and fruitful branch on the vine Jesus, by accepting Him in our lives as it pleases Him to come: as the Truth--to be told; as the Life--to be lived; as the Light--to be lighted; as the Love--to be loved; as the Way--to be walked; as the Joy--to be given; as the Peace--to be spread; as the Sacrifice--to be offered, in our families and within our neighborhood."

That is spiritual stillness.

That is His yoke.

With His yoke upon us, we can be gentle when people are harsh to us, when audience members do not appreciate our music making. We can be humble when humans seek to flatter us or puff us up, when they tempt us to steal God’s glory. And what is this yoke that can change us so completely if not the Word of God?

Read the Word.

Being still is reading the Word. Each time you and I face a problem that is sky high, that is the Holy Spirit inviting us to come to Christ, to admit and confess we are weary and burdened, to take upon ourselves His yoke of gentleness and humility THROUGH READING HIS HOLY WORD.

Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy . . .” The prophecy is both the Word of God and the testimony of Christ (Rev 1:2).

My dear ones, let us read the Word. Instead of figuring things out, let us read God’s Word first. Instead of retaliating, let us read God’s Word first. Instead of worrying and fretting and crying and wailing and palpitating, let us read God’s Word first.

Be still and read. You and I will be amazed to see what God reveals to us.

Be still and read. God will speak to us and tell us great and unsearchable things we do not yet know.

Be still and read. The Vine Jesus will cause us to bear much fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.