Be still and know

I am in the midst of my annual 21-day fast, with which I greet each new year.  This is a time to set apart the year, mark these days as holy unto the Lord.  Reflect on what He wants this year.

The first day or so is always a struggle—
I’m coming down from my self-inflicted sugar high,
coming out of the busyness of the holiday season,
and coming into the contemplative seeking that marks these days of fasting.

I don’t abstain from all foods—just the ones I want most—but I do limit my portion size so that I am reminded of my dependence on sustenance throughout the day. 

I limit my attentiveness to activities that easily distract.

I am intentional with my thoughts and prayers by listing for myself the areas I believe are most in need of intercession.  I ask the Lord for Scripture that sets the tone of each fast, and I meditate on it for the duration. 

I settle into a new rhythm.

At this point, I fear that my dear Christian reader is aghast regarding this post as I am speaking openly about that most taboo and controversial topic of…fasting.  (Gasp!)  Fear not.  I am neither holier-than-thou nor an unholy lightning rod.

Jesus speaks as if we’re all fasting regularly (cf. Matthew 6:17) and exhorts us not to take pride in our obedience.  Trust me, I’d actually prefer to hide out in my prayer closet right now. 

Since I have three-and-a-half readers, it’s rather like I am in my prayer closet, and perhaps this is why I’m not worried about appearances.

Bottom line:  I’m just being real…and using this setting as a vehicle for what I really want to share. 



What I really want to share

The verse for this fast is Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”  I asked the Lord to reveal a verse for these 21 days, and after pondering several meaningful ones for a couple of days early on, He placed this one on my heart.

Here’s why this verse surprised me:  It’s the beginning of a new year. 
A time to reset habits,
     strike out for distant dreams,
          blaze a trail for generations to follow.

Move.  Become.  Do.  Be.

Be.  Still?

Yes.  Be.  Still.  And.  Know.

Lord, I don’t understand.  I’m really good at sitting still and doing nothing.  Held back by complacency, fear, lack of what-I-think-is-clear direction.  Is that what You mean?

I just bought this book to help me reach my goals—a short chapter a day, each day, for 21 days—and I believe You are okay with my doing that.  You’ve been dropping me a lot of hints lately that this is the year to set a new course and actually walk down the road. 

For too long I’ve let the “urgent” rule my life without setting a plan for accomplishing the meaningful. 

This is my year to take a leap,
take the plunge, 
take off.

What is this “be still” stuff?  How do I reconcile the two?


A study of Psalm 46’s original Hebrew doesn’t point to sitting idly by while prettily daydreaming of God’s presence.  Instead, the Hebrew word that we have come to know as “be still” is better translated “let go” or “surrender.” 

In the context of the entire Psalm, which speaks of God’s mighty power and sovereignty over His creation, His people are called to remember who God is and what He’s done, to give Him the glory that only He is due, and then to look to Him as our only Refuge and Hope.*

So, let the surrendering begin, continue.  I believe it’s okay for me to run alongside God on any adventure He has planned for me this year, but the preparation for the expedition must be
     a letting go of my own tightly held plans,
          a releasing of my will,
     an acknowledgment that my knees need to bend now
          and not just on the day when all will bow a knee to Him.

It’s more than that, though.  It goes a step further.  It is trust.  Trust that He has everything in view and His plan is perfect and perfectly taking shape though I don’t understand one bit of it most of the time. 

It means
     letting Him do the heavy lifting
          and following His lead for my involvement in the process.

It takes 21 days to form a new habit, or so the studies say.  Perhaps that is why I am always a bit bereft at the end of my fasts—I’ve become accustomed to the extra time for prayer and Bible study, to the feeling of dependence on the Lord, to the greater appreciation I have for my comfortable lifestyle.  (I am hungry by choice, after all, and not by necessity.)

It’s hard to return to life as normal
     once one has learned that pizza and a movie
          are a poor substitute for soup and Jesus. 

Let the letting go carry on and forward. 

Be still.  Surrender. 
And know.  Acknowledge. 
That I Am God.  Yes, yes You are.


*I lament my lack of access to truly good commentaries, but passable source material was taken from here and here.

Redeeming Eden

I began a 21-day vision journey a few days ago—taking time intentionally each day to seek the fulfillment of the dreams God has placed in my heart.  I was inspired by a number of sources, but the main motivation for the journey was from this blog post by Holley Gerth.  

I’m struck by the travail that often occurs when we seek to see our God-ordained dreams satisfied.  Sometimes the fruition takes years of time, hard work, trials of all types.

We think that because the dreams are from God the realization of them will be
quick,
painless,
easy. 
Sometimes it is.  God is gracious.

But sometimes redemption is difficult.  That’s what our God-designed dreams mean, after all—redemption.  Working with God to bring about His vision for restoring a fallen world. 

And yes,
     even here,
          God is gracious.

Ever since the Fall, God has worked in Creation to show us the grace of His sovereign plan despite our depravity and apart-from-Him uselessness. 

He has placed hopes, 

plans,
ideas in us
that would never come to us,
     from us,
unless by His divine intervention in our existence. 

Think about it:  Most of our God-sized dreams aren’t really about us.  They’re about the next generation, making Creation better, innovation, reconciliation, and so on, and so on.

We couldn’t come up with these visions on our own if we tried our best and hardest from now until our dying day.  We’re too far gone but for His grace and His grace-breath within our hearts.

In Luke 2:25ff, we find the story of Simeon,
who held
     his long-awaited,
          God-initiated dream
               in his hands. 

At some point during
the 400 years of silence on the part of God toward Israel,
when the prophets and priests heard nothing from YHWH Adonai,
and Emmanuel was not yet with us,
God had whispered
     His vision
          to Simeon’s willing heart.

Simeon, longing for consolation, the Consolation of Israel, 

     redemption and Emmanuel,

must have prayed and prayed for God to show Himself mighty in Israel’s midst.  

Was he ever discouraged as he awaited the fulfillment of the visions God had spoken through Isaiah and the other prophets in centuries past? 

And then…one day…one day, the Spirit of God revealed that Salvation would arrive in Simeon’s own lifetime.  That still, small Spirit-movement had to ring as loud as a shout in Simeon’s ears, so accustomed to God’s silence. 

Yes,
the dream was placed in his heart,
to be pondered,
anticipated,
eagerly awaited. 

We aren’t told how long he waited, but he was ready and willing when the time to meet Messiah was at hand.

When the time came,
     all Simeon had to do was
          enter the Temple,
          find the infant ordained TheLordSaves,
          proclaim the Word of Most High God over Him and His parents. 
     Prophesy. 
Publically break the silence that had been
          privately broken in his heart and the hearts of Mary and Joseph. 
Give voice to the vision.

What if Simeon’s heart had never been open to hearing God’s voice or to repeating what he knew? 

What if he had given up on God’s promise? 

What if he had been afraid to enter into the Redemption of Creation? 

What if he had become impatient
     and charged into the Temple on any other day
to declare God’s Word over an infant unworthy of the appellations
     YHWH Adonai’s Salvation, Light for Revelation and for Glory?

The waiting on the Lord
     and the striving toward completion
          are worth the Glory that will be revealed
               as God calls us to our roles in Redeeming Eden.