Being Still

"Be still and know that I am God"

We've heard it a million times, it is used as the definitive call to stop and spend time with God. People use it to tell you to clear off you're busy schedule and make time for the Maker of time.  It is a very commonly quoted piece of scripture, but I bet you can't tell me where it comes from in the Bible.  Anyone? Anyone?  Bueller?  (Sorry, that's almost funny if you've seen the movie.)  It's from Psalm 46:10

 ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!
          (Psalm 46:10, New King James Version)

I love my smartphone.  It has this app that puts every translation of the bible in English, Spanish, Somali, and several other languages at my finger tips.  It also pops up a verse of the day on my home screen.  Several days ago this verse popped up.  I love this verse, but didn't know that I had only heard a third of it.  Seems in addition to making time for God, you must worship Him and bring others to worship Him.  Wow! That's pretty cool.  So, I need to make time for God, worship Him, and do things that would make others worship Him.  I've grown as a person just by hearing the rest of one verse.  Too cool.

The other cool thing about this bible app on my phone is it will take me from the verse of the day to the whole chapter.  Of course, I clicked right in... and my head exploded.  See, context is an amazing thing.  The material around a particular verse can bring out unforeseen depth (No, not a kiss. Weirdo!) or  flip the meaning.  Needless to say I didn't expect what I found:

 ¹ God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
 ² Therefore we will not fear,
         Even though the earth be removed,
         And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
 ³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
         Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah 
        
 ⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
         The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
 ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
 ⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
         He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
        
 ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah 
        
 ⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has made desolations in the earth.
 ⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariot in the fire.
        
 ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!
        
 ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah
(Psalm 46, New King James Version)

I expected to see verses 1-7.  They add a little depth to being still:  God will protect you, soothe you, be there for you.  Alright! God is so cool!  Verse 8 gets a little weird, cause we're looking at the destruction God has made.  Verse 9 has God making peace.  Win, everybody loves peace.  The problem comes with HOW He makes it.  Peace that comes from everyone realizing how silly war is, starts with people beating their swords into plows.  God is smashing and burning stuff!  This is not the peace of the convinced, it is the peace of the defeated.  God defeats His enemies, and then destroys their ability to fight Him.  Then you get "Be still...."

Be Still, He has defeated you.
Be Still, you can't fight Him.
Be Still, you can't run from Him.
Be Still, and know He is the ruler.

This verse is not about making or doing.  This verse is about surrender.  Surrender to God.  Stop fighting Him.  Stop resisting Him.  Accept Him as your God, because He is; and He will be exalted, whether you recognize Him or not.

How about that for a verse you thought you knew?

Seeker Sensitive

My local church body is into the "seeker sensitive" thing.  Trying to tear down the walls that might exclude people who don't "get" church, so that everyone might hear the Gospel.  They are trying their best to be "all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22, New King James Version) I find my church to be pretty good at this.  Then again I was raised in the church and began following Jesus young, so what do I know.  Jesus is usually considered the prime example of this, using stories based on everyday things to teach truth.

The trouble is when you run into a story like this one:
 
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
(Mark 10:17-18, New King James Version)

Here comes a seeker, wanting to know the answer to spiritual questions.  Here was another chance for Jesus to pull out a metaphor or story that would strike this man to the heart and bring him to know God.  So what did Jesus do?  He quibbled with the man's choice of words, "Why do you call Me good?"
Come on Jesus, we all know you're Good.  Other people have called you "Good" and "Teacher." What's the problem with the guy calling you that?  The problem was what Jesus said, "No one is good but ...God."  This is what Jesus had been teaching, and what his disciples continued to teach.  Only God is good, and Jesus was God.  The problem that Jesus had with this guy was that this guy thought he was good too.  Jesus rattles off a few commandments and this guy responds, "yeah, yeah, I know all that."  Then Jesus tells this guy to sell all his stuff and we find out this guy didn't worship God but stuff.  So even though Jesus loved this guy (Mark 10:21), Jesus pushed him away from the kingdom.

Why would Jesus do this?  We find the answer in back in the book of Hosea, where the prophet says of some seekers:

“ With their flocks and herds
      They shall go to seek the LORD,
      But they will not find Him;
      He has withdrawn Himself from them.
       (Hosea 5:6, New King James Version)

Here we go, people bringing everything they have to go find the Lord, yet He hides from them.  Why?  There is ever only one answer:

    I will return again to My place
      Till they acknowledge their offense.
      Then they will seek My face;
      In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
     (Hosea 5:15, New King James Version)

These people were trying to find God on there own terms, not on His.  They wanted to form a truce with God, not admit they had rebelled from Him and surrender to Him.  They weren't seeking God, they wanted to hunt God down and keep Him as a pet.  God hides from people like this.

The guy who came to Jesus seeking the secret to eternal life didn't want God, he wanted to live forever.  Jesus didn't push this guy away, this guy didn't want anything to do with Him.  Jesus just showed the guy what he needed:  GOD!  Most of all Jesus proved to this guy and the world, that this guy wasn't spiritual or religious.  This guy was worldly in the worst way, and just wanted for it to last forever.

What is the lesson here?  Not everyone that is looking for God is seeking Him.  Some of them are hunting Him down as a pet.

Which one are you?  Do you really want God, or just what he can do for you?  Have you admitted that there is none Good but Him, not even yourself?