I don’t know about you, but I just don’t like to stand still
By Dean Collins
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to stand still. Being a guard at Buckingham Palace would never work for me. I like to keep moving. I’ve put a few decades behind me now, and it still isn’t easy to stand still. Honestly I don’t like to sit long, either. This means that resting and waiting aren’t on my to-do list. My family will tell you and my colleagues will confirm that I prefer action over deliberation.
God and I have had many conversations on this topic. I’ve gotten better at stillness. But these daily devotionals convict me. I have to fight simply to listen. I read, I pray, and then I write. If I am not careful, even in my spiritual discipline I turn into a performer and not a listener.
Important
Many times in the Psalms, the Gospels, and other Scripture we learn of the importance of stillness. Maybe the most-often quoted line about stillness is, “Be still and know that I am God” from Psalm 46:10. Psalm 46 was in my daily reading just a couple weeks ago, but I chose then not to write about it because I know I have done so many times. It’s also possible I didn’t want to be still and think about it again.
Today I was reading 1 Samuel 12, and twice the prophet tells the children of Israel to “stand still.” The context of this instruction is the day Samuel gave notice that he was old and resigning from his role as judge of Israel. The people asked for a king, and God gave them one. It is clear in chapter 12 that Samuel is getting everyone on the same page. They needed to understand the king’s role, the prophet’s role, and their own role in the current structure and in the days to come.
They needed to understand the king’s role, the prophet’s role, and their own role
in the current structure and in the days to come.
The announcement was significant enough for Samuel to declare that God was witness to that moment and those words. As Samuel continued, he gave this instruction: ”Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. “
Just a few verses later he repeated the instruction and upped the ante: “Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.”
After the first “stand still” command, Samuel did a review of history. He recalled ancient and more recent times where God had rescued his people even though they had repeatedly been disobedient. Samuel proceeded to lay out the terms of how things will proceed with a king. Both the king and the people needed to remain faithful to God. If disobedience was their choice, then there would be consequences.
Expectant
Samuel wanted to make sure they understood, and so he repeated the command to be still and see the great thing the Lord would do. He then prayed that God would send rain to prove his point. There would be no question about this rain, because Samuel was calling for the rain at a time in the harvest season where there was never rain. And the flooding it could cause would be significant.
The rain came, and the people quit standing still and started pleading with Samuel to pray to God on their behalf. They didn’t want the rain now, and they got the message that they didn’t want to consequences of their disobedience later.
As I read this chapter I was struck by the similar message of Psalm 46. Samuel wanted the Israelites to stand still and experience the power of God. God is capable of eradicating the enemy, and without us he is capable of supplying every need. Yes, he invited us into his Kingdom and called us to live as Kingdom citizens, but he doesn’t need us to do his job. He is God and fully sufficient.
You and I should probably both show up for our next appointment with family or friends. We should also show up for our employer today and with any of our volunteer assignments. But before we do, we may want to take a few minutes and be still. Stop thinking you must or can fix whatever it is today you were about to fix.
Consider “Be Still and Know,” recorded by Steven Curtis Chapman. This artist from our time echoes the invitation of the ancient psalmist: Stop striving. Stop the busyness. Get off the hamster wheel for a moment. Listen for God’s voice. Watch his power at work around you.
Your time with God’s Word
1 Samuel 12:1-25 ESV
Photo by Patrick Robert Doyle on Unsplash
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