Stand Still

 

Hearken unto this, O Job:
stand still, and consider the
wondrous works of God.
Job 37:14

An urgent suggestion often relayed to visitors who come to our Great Smoky Mountains National Park is if someone gets lost on a trail away from friends and family, that person should just sit down and wait for rescue. A lost person can begin to wander when lost and soon is totally away from the area where he originally lost his bearings. This is especially true for a child. You see, in the wandering process, one tree(s) can begin to look like any other. When frustration sets in for the lost person and panic sets in, he may not only become more lost, but then be in increasing danger. The Park Service is well equipped to search for a lost person. It has all sorts of assets available for that job, plus the experience for finding the lost. Some people take the advice to stand still or sit down and wait, but tragically, many do not. Standing still doesn't seem the practical thing to do for most folks.

We don't live in a day where standing still seems to be an option. Everything and everyone in the last few years is busy no matter where we go. We've noticed in our National Park the impatience of tourists in recent years like no other time. If you are driving a little slow taking in the beauty of God's creation, now we hear a foreign sound to the Park...the honking of a horn to hurry things along. Even on vacation in one of the most beautiful areas of our country you can visit, folks want to speed through, taking in very little and causing distress to others. It's not unusual to be cursed at or to see hand signals that are offensive. In those instances, no one is standing still, even when slowing down in life for a few days that could be beneficial.

How often do we stand still (come to a calm, quiet, pause) and just consider the wondrous things of God in our lives. I live in an area that just blows my mind with all of it's natural beauty. When Brian and I drive through the mountains, he would tell you that just about every time, I make the comment: “We are so blessed getting to live here.” I look at the beauty of God's creation and “stand” in wonder at it all. There are blessings all around to look at and take in. No matter where one resides, there is beauty God has put in place. There is beauty in people that can refresh us as well.

Moses spoke to his people on occasion telling them to stand still. He had led his people out of Egypt, but Pharaoh was on their trail with his army. He had changed his mind about letting God's people go back to their land. The people could only sense gloom and doom on the horizon. These folks needed a miracle and looked to Moses for assurance. All Moses had from the Lord were directions for getting out of Egypt. He didn't see this circumstance coming. Moses had a confidence that God had given his instructions and the people had followed those instructions. Somehow, Moses knew the people would be saved. He told the people to stay calm because the Lord was going to fight for them.

I believe Moses' three point instruction to the people then is just as valuable for us today. He said:
...Fear ye not,
stand still,
and see the salvation of the Lord,
which He will show to you today:
for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today,
ye shall see them again no more forever.
Exodus 14:13
Even in our circumstances today, doing all of those three things is difficult much of the time for most Christians. When faced with difficult circumstances, fear tends to take over and fear is the opposite of faith. Folks don't want to stand still (relax, time out, pause, moments to think). People want to take action, do something, keep wandering in the woods of life instead of stopping and listening to what God might have to say. Both of the first two commands are important for leading us to the third...the Lord's salvation from whatever we need saved from.

Just prior to Saul's coronation as king, he and Samuel the high priest walked together. Samuel asked Saul to have his servant walk on ahead of them...why? Samuel says to Saul in I Samuel 9:27b:
...stand thou still awhile, that I may
shew thee the word of God.
Saul was about to have his own private “Bible study” at the feet of Samuel. I don't know if Saul knew what a privilege those moments were. I wonder if we take advantage of all of the wonderful teachings from God's Word that are available to us whether in church, Sunday school, Bible studies or other settings. To totally take in God's Word, we must stand still to absorb it all. That means coming to a stop to listen to what the Lord is saying to us.

In Samuel's final years, he admonished his people to stand still and said the following in I Samuel 12:7. He wanted to remind them of the wonderful works of God in their lives and history.
Now therefore stand still, that I may reason
with you before the Lord of all the righteous
acts of the Lord, which He did to you and to
your fathers.
Do we ever stand still and consider our own life histories, His blessings in abundance, His love, support and provision? We are such a blessed people and would feel more blessed if we would just stand still and take it all in.

Help me, Father, to stand still and take in all You want me to know through Your Word or other sources You provide. Thank You for Your goodness in my life. Thank you too, for the times You have caused me to stand still so You could teach me what I needed at the time. I love You....in Jesus' precious name...Amen