BEAUTY FROM ASHES

As we’re reaching the middle of the year, I’m reminded of the most common question we all ask each other at the start of every year: “What is your New Year’s Resolution?”  

It’s great to have goals to better ourselves in different areas of our lives. But as the year continues we tend to forget about the goals we wanted to achieve for the year. Lately, the Lord has been speaking to me about a specific verse. A verse about surrender. I now realize that I have been kind of stubborn in surrendering. And I now feel in my heart the desire to not make it a goal for just a year but to reach that level of surrender in my life and to make it more of a lifestyle. 

Please join me in reading Psalm 46:10. 

“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 ‭ESV‬‬

In the English dictionary the phrase “Be still” is defined as: “to remain calm and quiet, not moving, motionless”. Over the years the Bible has been translated to multiple languages and versions. But to really understand the meaning of this verse it’s important to read it in the original language that it was written in. As we know, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and then translated to other languages. 

In Hebrew, the phrase “Be still” comes from the Hiphil stem of the verb “Rapha”, which means “to be weak, to let go, to release; to surrender.” Something interesting that I found while looking for the translation of this phrase, is that when used in poetic context, “Rephai’im” could be used as synonymous with the phrase: “place of the dead”. In other words, we are to die to ourselves…die to the desires of the flesh. 

So when we read this verse substituting these translated words, we would read it as: 

“Remain calm and quiet”

“Let go…release”

“Surrender”

“Be quiet”

“Relax”

“Die to yourself”…so you may know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”. 

To be still means letting go of our plans and goals for this year and saying “Lord, I place these plans in your hands, do what you want with them, for I know that your plans are so much better than mine.”

To be still means to remain calm in a difficult situation, in which we don’t see a way out. Yet, we remain calm for we have put our trust in the Lord. Like Romans 8:31 says “if God is for us, who can be against us?” Ex 14:14 reminds us that the Lord will fight our battles: “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

To be still is to stop relying on our strength, and allow for God’s grace to be perfected in our weaknesses. 

To be still is to remain quiet, to remove all the noise, the distractions preventing us from hearing God’s voice, that build a wall between us and God’s presence. 

To be still is to relax and allow God’s peace that surpasses all understanding to fill our hearts, remembering that God will provide for whatever needs we may have as mentioned in Matt 6:8 “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

To be still is to die to ourselves, allowing the life of Christ to be brought forth in us. As Gal 2:20 says: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Rom 6:11 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.“

To be still simply means, to be willing to remove oneself from being in control of our lives and surrendering ourselves completely to the Lord….Why? So that we may know the Lord as our God. Not the God of our forefathers, but as our God. 

In the times that we are living in, it is imperative that we learn to “be still” before the Lord. We don’t know what is in store for us, for our country, for the church of God. But if we learn to be still, we will witness God’s hand move in tremendous ways in our lives and when others see that, they will also want to know the Lord God. Like the second part of that verse says: “I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”. Our testimony will draw others to Christ and His name will be exalted among the nations. There will be chaos all over the world, nation will rise against nation but if we learn to be still, we will not fear for the Lord is our refuge in times of trouble. 

A few months ago, I remember telling the Lord, “I can’t find the words to express how I feel. The weight of everything is so heavy; I’m at a breaking point, but you see my heart and you see the pain.” And I felt the Lord spoke very clearly to me that evening, “be still and you will see me work in your life and in your family.” I’m learning that the Lord wants to teach me even more about surrendering. We are not pushed or forced to be still. The Lord is showing both sides of the coin, saying “be still so that you may know that I am God. If you want to know me as God, be still, surrender, let go, and die to yourself.”

SURRENDER