Stop – Stand in Awe and Worship

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose for them.

How often do we rush through our day; briskly moving through each activity, completing it, and proudly checking it off our urgent “to do” list? I don’t know about you but that is pretty descriptive of my daily routine. Many of us are good at completing tasks. We set goals and then come up with strategies to make those goals a reality. We are quite efficient and even creative in what we do. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

However, for those of us who are pragmatic by nature we must remind ourselves to STOP and spend some time reflecting. Francis Chan, in his book CRAZY LOVE, urges us to stop talking at God when we pray and LISTEN. He goes on to say: The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands in awe of Him.

The Psalmist knew what it meant to ponder the awesomeness of God. I doubt the great truths, found in these writings, came to these men of faith in the middle of their busyness or at least not until they STOPPED, PAUSED and LISTENED. When we, as Christians, pause and listen we discover the depth of our Creator and His love for his creation. Psalm 46 speaks of God being our refuge and strength; enumerating His power and might before reminding us to BE STILL and know that He is God.

 

God is our refuge & strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Let the oceans roar and foam. Le the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:

See how He brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth.

He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two;

He burns the shields with fire.

 

Be silent, and know that I am God!

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.

(Psalm 46:1-3, 8-10) (NLT)

 

The NIV version says: “Be still and know that I am God.”

 

BE STILL, BE SILENT before God. Ponder His awesomeness!

When we stop and ponder we find out God is in the middle of every circumstance that comes our direction—even the uncomfortable, scary or painful moments. There is nothing hid from Him. When we encounter obstacles, God sees opportunities to rest in Him, and be amazed at how he will work things out for our good.

 

Near the end of Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love writes:

I’ve made it a commitment to consistently put myself in situations that scare me and

require God to come through. When I survey my life, I realize that those times have been

the most meaningful and satisfying of my life. They were the times when I truly

experienced life and God.

 

When I find I’m overwhelmed with my “to do” list and I can’t possibly see how to get it all completed, those are the very moments I need to STOP and LISTEN, …. BE STILL and be amazed at how God is willing and certainly able to work things out for my good.

 

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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