Be Still...and Know

Friday, September 29, 2023

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  

….“Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.                          I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:1-3, 10

When the storms of life head your way, it becomes an absolute necessity to know and trust the strength of the position you occupy.  It won’t do to start fixing the roof when the raindrops begin.  This is why Scripture constantly tells us, shows us, and reminds us to meditate on God, to study His Word, and trust His strength, rather than our own.  He is our roof, walls, and foundation; He wants us to survive the storms.  So…this morning, let’s meditate on God in the stillness:

Be Still and See His Creation

The Psalmist tells us God created all that we can see, as well as that which we still haven’t discovered.  Take a deep breath and contemplate how God has put you together, intricate, beautiful, capable of great kindness and compassion, having free will to serve goodness or evil; you are fearfully and wonderfully-made.

Be Still and See His Gentleness

With all His power to create the universe, God made sure we would have the tenderness to be gentle with that which is vulnerable.  What trust our God has in us to ennoble us with such gifts that display His image in us.  We are blessed with a family resemblance.

Be Still and See His Kindness  

God did not have to create us, or be gentle with His creation, but rather chose to do so because of His nature to be kind.  Even the covenant word used for God’s promises to all who look to him as Father…the word is lovingkindness.  That is the stuff of His creation and promises.

Be Still and See His Majesty

Mountains, plains, seas, sky, and all that is in them, declare the handiwork of God.  And with all of that to display his glory, God also has not chosen to live in a house made with bricks, mortar, wood, or stone; God lives within the crown of His creation…humankind.  He decorates his abode with love, compassion, and eternal life.

Be Still and See His Mercy

In the storms of our lives, God is there; He cares what we’re going through, and what we’ve learned, how much we’ve suffered, or laughed.  He knows us so fully…every molecule of our body, every thought of our being, every tear we’ve ever shed is collected in His bottle, and He knows every pure or vile thing we’ve thought or done.  And in His mercy, we are loved.

For You Today 

What could we possibly add to Creator, Gentle, Kind, Majestic, and Merciful? 

Tons more…we have just barely touched the slightest glimmer of the grandeur of God’s glory.  And the greater news is, for those who love Him and call Him Father, we will have an eternity to explore all He is, and the greatest measure of His love, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of The Chosen via Wikimedia                      

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Access Point

Monday, August 7, 2023

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.  Bend down and listen as I pray.  Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.  By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.  Psalm 17:6-7

Prayer is something like a house with only one access point, the door that admits a person into the presence of God.  In these two verses there are four bitting cuts (like the ridges of a key which align with a lock’s notches to open the door).

  King David’s prayer is a model no believer ought to forget.  Without these cuts no prayer will align with God’s requirements…the access point will remain closed.

Bit-Cut #1 – I know you will answer

Faith is trusting that God does hear and answer; apostle James understood this:

But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  James 1:6

Faith isn’t arrogance or knowing the magic combinations of words (your own words are always better…right from the heart and soul).

Bit-Cut #2 – Bend down

Asking God to “bend down” to hear you is an acknowledgement of your position relative to God’s.  He is the enthroned one.  Isaiah gives us this picture:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  Isaiah 6:1^(KJV)

“High and lifted up” is where God resides.  Our prayer access point won’t open if we approach God as equal; all facts are to the contrary.  God is eternal, creator of the universe, all powerful, and holy.  We are below that; way below that.

Bit-Cut #3 – Unfailing love

The Hebrew word for God’s “unfailing love” is chesed.  In other parts of Scripture the word is translated as lovingkindness, or mercy.  The primary thought is of God’s covenant love, the love he showed to Abraham in blessing him for his obedience.  This is the “unfailing” love of which David writes…the response of God to anyone who withholds nothing from God.  Apostle James explains:

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together.  His actions made his faith complete.  James 2:21-22

Bit-Cut #4 – Surrender to the rescue

King David recognized it is God’s mighty power that rescues those who acknowledge God’s sovereignty in this universe.  This is a matter of trusting God no matter what the circumstances seem to dictate.  It is placing faith in Him alone, rather than any other sources of supposed strength you may have considered or leaned-upon in the past.  God gave Solomon this thought to pass on to us about surrendering to God’s rescuing blessings:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.                    Proverbs 3:5-6

For You Today 

God’s covenant love was best expressed in Jesus Christ.  Jesus told his disciples there wasn’t anything he would withhold from them if they asked in his name.[1]  That’s the access point – not a magic formula, simply a fact.  To ask in his name, is to have all the “bitting cuts” in place:  faith He will answer, faith in His strength, faith in His mercy, and surrendering all to His will.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com 

Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] John 14:13