Being Still

Exodus 14:14 (KJV) 'The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'

Conflict is inevitable. When it comes, our inborn nature is to choose fight or flight. But as children of God, we are challenged to choose another alternative---stillness.

'What does being still have to do with conflict?' you ask. Well let me tell you how they are related in my mind and in my walk with Christ. Stillness has several implications, all of which are helpful.

Stillness is: a state of calm
The most common mistake people make when facing difficulty is to react impulsively and rashly. When you feel anger or panic washing over you like a tidal wave, run to God in prayer. Nothing brings calm like prayer, nor will anything restore your peace like the quietness of conversation with God.

Stillness is: a form of waiting
There is so much wisdom in waiting for some time to pass so you can gain a clearer and more objective perspective.

Google states that the definition of 'wait' is:
 (verb)

1.

stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens

--or--

2.

used to indicate that one is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen

So be still, wait.

Stillness is: faith in the peace that is coming
Those who trust in the Lord find their security in what they believe rather than in what they see. Learn to trust the Lord's counsel and provision, even when it looks as if things may not pan out the way you prefer them to.

___________________

When everything around you is in chaos, being still gives God a chance to do His best work.

___________________


When I think about where I struggle the most with waiting, sometimes I freak out. Sometimes, and always more beneficial each and every time I do, I pray. I do my best to completely give it over to God. Sometimes that means a simple prayer, and my full reliance on Him and His work in my life. Sometimes that means writing whatever is weighing me down and causing conflict, usually externally, and even sometimes the physical burning of the 'issue' that I wrote on paper, while giving it over to God. I am typically a girl-on-the-go. I like to go, go, go. Especially during the school year, my nights off are for siblings' sporting events, and family events. So that means, my nights off, aren't really nights off. But I like it! I like a packed calendar. But, being so busy, I forget to be still and listen and just be with God.

He has already proven that He can calm any storm, so whatever storm He is letting you be in right now, He is just showing you that you need Him, you need to depend on Him. He is saying, 'I am in control.' Psalms 107:28-29 (KJV) 'Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.'

I find it easiest to be still, when I am alone. Sometimes my 'still' time is at work, but that is quite frequently interrupted and seemingly less beneficial to me and my relationship with God. Find a quiet place, an empty room, maybe your backyard, or if you've seen War Room, and feel like you need something that separate and enclosed, your closet. Find a place where you don't have anything else to worry about. Where you can be you, and God can be God, and you can be one with each other, conversing and hanging out with Him. Being still and relaxing in the Lord gets easier each time I make time for it.

'The quieter you become, the more you can hear.' ~Ram Dass

 

Don't forget...

 Enjoy some of the not-so-random music videos I always post at the end of each blog! :)

 

Breathe ~ Jonny Diaz

Thy Will ~ Hillary Scott & the Scott Family

Yearn ~ Shane and Shane

 

Thanks for reading, and I pray something I wrote reaches someone who needs to hear it today. God bless y'all!

'Mom, I'm hungry.'

'Mom, I'm hungry.'  Blurts out my 5-year-old nephew in the back seat of the van.

...fast forward 67 seconds...   

 '...still hungry Mom!'

Like hello Mom, did you forget? My stomach is still hollering at me! It doesn't matter how patient or impatient I am, I cannot control how patient my stomach is!

I think that we are this way with God. We pray, fervently perhaps, for things we think we need or know we want. We pray over and over again, maybe we pray for the same thing twice in the same prayer, just in case God may have forgotten, like his Mom must have forgotten about his hunger pains. We pray that God will heal all ills and comfort those who are hurting. Not tomorrow though, we cannot wait on tomorrow, but why not right now? God fix us now, comfort them now, You can, so why don't You? Why do You feel the need to 'try our patience' for so long?

We find it unfair at times, life in general, but especially the moments where God is saying, 'Trust me, I know what I am doing. I see the pain in your heart, I know the ending, give Me time, and let Me do what I do, one day you too will understand dear child.' God is perfectly just, even when circumstances seem terribly unfair. He has a plan, His timing can be trusted.

He tells us in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3 verse 5 to 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.'   '...with ALL thine heart.' What does this mean to you? To me, it means no matter what my brain thinks is possible or impossible, no matter what my emotions believe is fair or unfair, no matter what the world tells me is just or unjust, the Lord is in control, especially when I don't understand it. God makes many promises in His Word, but not that life will be fair. Not that life will be easy. Not that life will work according to our plans and purposes, but His plans. In Romans 8:28 Paul writes that, 'we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.' Emphasizing, that it is not what we want when we want it, but what we need when He determines we need it, for His glory.

There are a lot of things about God that I don't know and cannot explain, but one thing I know is true; God loves at all times.

I know that He will never leave us.

I know that this battle isn't ours. The battle belongs to the Lord, let Him fight for you. Save your emotional energy and use it to dig into His Word like never before. Our job is to be obedient to God, His job is winning the battle. We can't do it alone anyway, just let Him do Him.

I know that the battle may not be easy or short-lived, but victory will be there for those who trust in God.

I know that God is good, even when circumstances are darker than you ever imagined. God is good even when people aren't. God is good even when things seem stinking hopeless. God is good even we aren't. God is good and can be trusted.

And, I know that God is good at being God. Don't try to fix what He hasn't assigned you to fix. Be patient and know the He is working on it. 

 
Be still. And know, He is God. Be patient, He has it under control.

God doesn't simply pour a big dose of patience into our lives overnight. He builds it in us, through experiences--sometimes very hard ones, and sometimes very small and seemingly silly ones... The small experiences increase our capacity to tackle bigger ones with greater strength. Each experience, big or small, is training us to endure, creating a solid foundation in our lives to prepare us for what may come.

 Trust in You- ~ Lauren Daigle                                       Breathe ~ Jonny Diaz      

 While I'm Waiting ~ John Waller

"Mom"

As a dear friend of mine anxiously awaits the birth of her daughter (due date is tomorrow July 15th), the song below comes to mind. All children are a gift from heaven, and I dedicate this blog to that precious bundle of joy, her mother, and all you mothers out there. Though the anticipation is killing those two lovebirds, I know this baby will come when she and God are ready for her to be in this "big blue ball."

Meet Your Mom-by Garth Brooks
(video link at bottom)
A little baby told God, "Hey, I'm kinda scared
Don't really know if I want to go down there
From here it looks like a little blue ball
That's a great big place and I'm so small"
"Why can't I just stay here with You
Did I make You mad, don't You want me too?"
God said, "Oh, child, of course I do
But there's somebody special waiting for you."
---
 So, hush now baby don't you cry
'Cause there's someone down there waiting
Whose only goal in life
Is makin' sure you're always gonna be alright
A loving angel, tender, tough and strong
It's almost time to go and meet your mom
---
You'll never have a better friend
Or a warmer touch to tuck you in
She'll kiss your bruises, your bumps and scrapes
And anytime you hurt, her heart's gonna break
---
 Now, when she's talking to you
Make sure you listen close
'Cause she's gonna teach you everything
You'll ever need to know
Like how to mind your manners
To love and laugh and dream
And she'll put you on the path
That'll bring you back to Me
---
So, hush now little baby don't you cry
'Cause there's someone down there waiting
Whose only goal in life
Is making sure you're always gonna be alright
A loving angel, tender, tough and strong
Come on child
It's time to meet your mom.

That song is so fitting and applies to every Mom and child. Every mother only wants to best for their children, only wishes to soothe their pain, prays away their fears. Mothers are the best example of love and nurturing that God has given us on this earth.









---This is one of the Bible's most quoted and well-known passages on love, and who is a better example of the extent of love that is described in that passage than mothers?

---Mothers are a source of honor, goodness, and loveliness. As in all things pure and virtuous, we are encouraged to think upon such things.

 

 

---All of us, whether we are children, or are raising them, should remember to give honor to our mothers.

---This passage praises God as the giver of children, calls them a heritage and reward from on high.

---Mothers are models of compassion, they never forget their children, and in fact the children can typically be placed before themselves, putting their own needs behind those needs of their child.

---I still remember seeing a pregnancy progress for the first time, seeing the child grow in the mother's tummy, seeing the first sonogram, up until and following the birth of that precious miracle. The role that mothers have in this process is unimaginable and perfect.

---God compares himself here to a mother, bringing the incredible comforting ability of a mother to mind.

---What your mother teaches you should be cherished.

---As children typically spend a majority of their time with their mothers, they tend to be who they learn from most. Mothers are credited and blamed. Mothers suffer the brunt of the attitudes, see the most firsts, and all around influence the child, especially early in age, the most. Mothers are God's biggest blessings to all of us.
 

---This talks about how Christ loved and cared for His mother. This is a prime example and lesson on how we should treat and show love to our mothers.











So mothers, love your children, and children love your moms. They carried you inside their tummies for months, let you beat them literally on the inside. So learn from them, soak up their instruction, and do all that you can to please God through your love and respect for your mothers.


Video link for "Meet Your Mom" by Garth Brooks ---> here!

One to be Sought After

There has been all but a very short time of my life that I have been without companionship of the opposite sex. My one and only "official" relationship I have had with the opposite sex lasted six weeks I believe. That is hardly half a % of the amount of time I have spent on this earth. I see men, I see men all over, good looking, not-so-good looking, kind, not-so-kind, happy, depressed, elated, married, single, divorced, engaged. I see them. Sometimes I get to know them, sometimes not. Sometimes they seem like the type of person I would let have some of my time, sometimes not. Sometimes the ones that want my time are the ones I can't imagine wasting another breath with. And even sometimes, I meet them, get to know them a little, and can already imagine the rest of my life with them ( I am guilty of this).

BUT, all the while, deep down inside, I wish that I had found my one and only, found that man to throw a ring on my finger and grab hold of my heart forever. Someone to stand by me, encourage me to grow in my faith with God, and want to get to know me more and more everyday. Someone who puts God first. Someone with a compassionate heart and a kind voice. Someone willing to put up with all of the mess that makes up who I am. Someone willing to help me clean it up when I get messier. Someone who will be just as crazy as I am all the time, someone lighthearted, someone that loves being outside, someone that enjoys spending time with family, someone willing to go to the ends of the earth to ensure that his family is provided for. Someone to stick up for me, someone to rub my back after a long day. Someone to hold me, just because. Someone to share all my dreams and fears with. Someone to pray with daily. The one I am to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who fears God daily, and teaches our children the same. A man after God's own heart.

I recently had a conversation with some co-workers. We talked about me being single, if I am looking, and if so what "type" of guy I am looking for. My stipulations were, "He has to have nice teeth, and be at least a cm taller than me. He can't be too much overweight because that will just scream laziness. And he needs to go to church, he needs to know the God I know." Their response to this was "well, good luck. You're too picky! What about having a job?"

Now thinking back, I am just like whoa! Firstly, I don't anticipate finding an unsaved man, but maybe that is God's plan. Maybe He threw me down here on earth to show this one man whom He has intended for me to marry, His love, and strike up a curiosity in him to invite the Holy Spirit in and take over. But more importantly, why was God and said man's relationship with Him my last stipulation? Newsflash, Rachael. Not only should that be priority, but that should be the only priority. As I sit here, and attempt to mature as I age, (this will be a forever process...I don't anticipate ever being as mature as my age says I should be) I have had my eyes opened to this.

I was reading in Job 31* tonight, and there, there is where I found the guy I want. I want a man of integrity, one who stands in God's promises. A man who commits to personal purity, who reflects justice in all dealings, who gives generously to others. A man of God who shows compassion to all. A man who sets Godly priorities in life. A man who lives out his faith in God, doesn't just throw it on his shirt sleeve, to show to whomever he thinks needs to see it. A man who forgives others, no matter the wrong. A man who opens his home to those in need, who walks with the Lord. A man who seeks to do right. This, this is the man I should search and long for. A man worthy of being sought after.

So, I will be picky. I will not lower my standards. I will stand by my choice to remain pure until I find my future mister. I will wait, on the Lord, I will wait. I will wait for His perfect plan and timing. As patiently as possible, I will wait on Him. My prayers have changed from Lord show me this man whom you want for me to marry (like, ASAP), to Lord, I pray for my future husband today, that You would guide his heart, and bring Him closer to You as we both wait on each other. I know You have a will, God, and where there is a will there is a way, and Your way is best, Your way is right.  <3





*Job 31:4-40 (KJV)