by Jim Hughes
Ps. 37:7 Be still in the presence of the LORD and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Be still in the presence of the Lord. For some of us, this may seem nearly impossible to do. We cram our lives so full of stuff that we don’t have time to be still. We are on the go all the time and the Lord gets shoved off to the side. Some of us are simply wired in such a way that stillness just doesn’t fit well with our make-up. For some, there is a sense of guilt associated with being still. Yet, we are told to be still.
Stillness before God is absolutely necessary if we are going to benefit at all from being in His presence. Stillness quiets the soul so we can hear the heartbeat of God. It changes our focus from ourselves and busyness to the Lord. It enables us to appreciate who our Father is and our relationship to Him. It enables us to worship the Lord instead of using Him. It enables us to appreciate what really matters in life. It makes the concerns of our lives pale in light of His glory and grace.
Wait patiently for Him to act. If you struggle with this, ask the Lord to help you. We have to learn that God doesn’t live within our time constraints. He is in no hurry. He acts when it is the right time to act and He will not be pressured to act any sooner.
When we spend quality unhurried time with the Lord, we are not as likely to worry about those who don’t share our faith. We understand that whatever they may do or say doesn’t really matter. The Lord gives us the strength to overcome. He helps us to keep things in perspective and to realize that when all is well with Him, that is all that we need in life. Whatever happens on earth pales in light of what is going to happen for those who are still in the presence of God and wat patiently for Him to act.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.