Stillness

May 22, 2020

Stillness… It's a hard thing to find for many. Especially in our current cultures' climate - and yes, especially, even for many Christians.

As Christians though, we are supposed to be the most peace filled and peaceful people on the planet. Why? Because Jesus is. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah. 9:6); Our God, He is literally the God of peace (2 Thess 3:16; Heb 13:20; Judges 6:24). It is part of His being, part of His nature, and therefore part of ours as new creations in Him. Not only that, peace is His promise to us (see Psalm 29:11; 85:8 and Philippians 4:7 & Isaiah 26:3).

So why don’t we often see the fulfilment of this in our realities?

I believe it’s because of 2 things.

First,
**Because we have lost the ability to become truly still.**

Stillness is the pathway to peace.

Stillness - is a state of being; a being completely at rest. Calm and present, void of striving and distraction.
Becoming 'still' in and of itself is a skill that needs to be re-learned by many of us. A skill that I too, had to re-learn and develop. Often with adulthood comes busyness, hurried sickness, and over extension; the cost? Stillness. The ability become still ends up being distant memory for our minds and bodies, and to get back to that place ends up taking intentionality and work.

The second reason we don't often see the fulfilment of our peace promise is,

Because one of the greatest tools for finding stillness has been stolen by the enemy.

How? By the simple act of misconstruing this tool, one of the most powerful tools God has given us; and twisting it to make the church believe it is evil, unnecessary or taboo; and that is the tool of meditation.

Meditation is a God idea.

A God created design for His people, that the devil knows is SO powerful he had to do what he does best (be a copy cat), and take that tool, take God out of it, and re-present it as something else that would make God's people turn, and even run, away from it. It’s a classic move the enemy makes over and over again, as he has done so from the beginning with all of God's original designs.

Don’t take my word for it though - let me show you His. These are just a FEW of the many many scriptures that encourage or give example of meditation:

Genesis 24:63
“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening…”

Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…”

Psalm 4:4
“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still...”

Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”

1 Timothy 4:15
“Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”

So, no, meditation is not ‘new age’, it is not evil, it’s not the devil’s. It is ours, it is God’s, and we must take it back for God’s glory and use it as He originally designed for us! Use it to find stillness, to find peace; To remind your soul, again and again, of God’s power, of God’s goodness, of God’s intense love for you, as you bring your mind back into captivity, and focus it on His word, ultimately being transformed by the renewing of it.

With love,