Just Be Still

Matt.6:⁶ But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matt.6:⁶ [MSG] “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.”  Jesus Himself took time out to teach us the principle of withdrawing to be alone with God. Some people cannot imagine being alone with God simply because they do not know what to do. Just be there, as simply and honestly as you can manage, just be authentic before God. The focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense His grace.

You have to learn to be alone with God. There is nothing wrong with watching movies but sometimes it takes a lot of our time. Two hours is a lot of time. If it is not movies, it is a legitimate desire to just hang out doing nothing. Why not block out that time and say, “Lord, I am going to sit before You as honestly and as open as I can manage. I just want to be authentic with you”. You will be shocked at what will happen. And it is because God loves you and He cares [deeply] about the details of your life.

Lesson #3. I must wait. After withdrawing, the next thing to do is to wait.  Calm your thoughts, your emotions, your raging imaginations and just wait on God. Hab.2:¹ “…  I will wait…”. Habakkuk decided that this is a position that he must take. John’s move to the wilderness was also a similar position. In the wilderness, you do not really have much choice but to wait on God. Everything that would ordinarily contest for your attention is out of the way. You have to wait on God. The New International Version translation [NIV] of Hab.2:¹ reads, “…I will station myself…”. That word “station” there means to stay put and not move.

Say this aloud, “I will calm down and I will be still. Until I hear from God I am not moving”. Someone said, “Hurry is the death of prayer”. A man tells his wife it is time to pray and first response is I need to be somewhere else so please make this fast. Why is it that when you hold the remote control, there is no hurry? When we start putting priority to God’s Presence, hearing God will be effortless.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I have come to be with You, to love and worship my King. Lead me, guide me, as I wait here in Your Presence, in Jesus Name. Amen!