Rest. A word I so often hear The Lord tell my spirit.
In the moments of His presence one can only see the majesty of His beauty which causes us to see that there is nothing more important than resting in Him. Have you found yourself in a place where you call out, maybe you are going through your contact list, making calls and waiting for someone to answer. On the other side you get silence.
Silence is scary. It causes us to look inward and therefore, outward. Searching. Searching for a right now, how do I get rid of this anxiety, or need for control?
In 1 Kings 19:11-19, Elijah retreated to a mountain after a show down with the prophets of Baal then fleeing from Jezebel. He retreated to the wilderness and asked that he might die. After receiving comfort in the form of food from the angel of the Lord, he got up ate. For 40 days and forty nights he hid in a cave in Mount Horeb. Later the angel of the Lord appeared again telling him to go outside the cave because the LORD was going to pass by.
Think about this for a moment. Imagine you living your life as a fugitive from a wicked and evil person only to ask to die after witnessing a tremendous defeat of the “prophets” of Baal in a fire consuming showdown; and later have the Lord continuously appear to you. Would you not be encouraged?
After a wind, an earthquake, then a fire, God appears. What is striking is that Elijah heard the Lord speak in the silence after the fire.
I am often taken back to this story of the silent speaking God. The One who I’ve often cried out to in moments of weakness. And I’ll be honest, there have been times I have felt ignored or maybe forgotten. The One who appears after the fires of life is the all consuming fire.
Truth is, He is in all things. He sees all things, knows all things, cares for all things, purifies all things. He doesn’t just show up out of nowhere. He is constantly waiting for us to come to Him.
Relinquishing of self is hard especially when you want understanding and answers. What if peace requires us to flee from ourselves instead of the wickedness of the world? And in the rush to find answers the searching stops because it stirs our spirit closer to Him?
Jesus told his disciples “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
What does the world’s peace look like? Is it instant peace? Or maybe wanting to control the outcomes of life and circumstances?
You don’t have to look far when you know who holds your future.
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Be still. Rest. He knows the beginning from the end. When you let go only then, can you find rest.
He loves you, and You are Crowned in Beauty.
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