Monday Morning Encouragement...
Yesterday at church we sang “Oh Be Still, and Behold Him.” And those words resonated so deeply with me.
Listen to some of the lyrics…
He who was before there was light, Walked across the pages of time, He who made every living thing
Behold Him
He who heard humanity's cry
Left His throne to wake as a child, He became like the least of us
Behold Him
Jesus, Son of God, Messiah
The Lamb, the roaring Lion
Oh, be still and behold Him
Friends, this world (I’ve been guilty of it as well) has done a “great” job of taking God’s Word and shaping it into what we want it to say. We’ve watered down God’s Word or we’ve put God in a box where we want Him to do what we want Him to do for us. We’ve taken Scripture out of context with nice sayings like “Be still and know…” and we forget to mention the rest… THAT I AM GOD. We’ve shaped verses ( like Psalm 46:10)) to be about US, instead of God.
And we’ve forgotten to Behold HIM.
There’s a lot going on in the church these days that is contrary to God’s Word. We need to watch that we are not pulling God down to our level, or elevating ourselves to His level.
~ Neither is holy and good
~ Neither is trusting, by faith, in the sovereignty of God.
It is time we humbly come before God on His terms, not ours. I know this may be hard to hear and I’m sure there will be those that don’t listen. But we must obey the Lord’s leading, even when it goes against the world’s counsel (or the church or christian speakers we look up to), if they are speaking false doctrine. The Bible warns us of this and I’m so thankful it does. We need to be careful who we let influence our hearts and minds.
I understand there is so much we DON’T understand and we won’t ever understand, this side of Heaven. I get that we’d LOVE to have answers to our problems, or hear a “word” from the Lord to show us the way, or see signs and wonders to help us believe. We might feel empowered (for a bit) when we try to “declare and decree” and we might feel “safer” if we hear a prophetic word from someone who’s telling us what’s to come.
Oh, I have much to say about all of these things, and it’s coming soon…
But let us be reminded:
God is our Creator and we are His creation.
How can we possibly think we can come to God and tell Him how it should be? We don’t come demanding or seeking a sign, we come humbly before the Lord. We come with trust in His sovereignty over all. And we come by faith, because “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Trusting that the Lord is at work, and He sees the big picture, while we can only see a glimpse… and that’s OK. Because it shows the world that we know God is in control, and we walk by faith, not by sight. And what a beautiful testimony that is to a world that needs Jesus!
Read all of Psalm 46 this morning and see the full context of “Be Still…”
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Let us behold and be in awe of our God today.
Have a GREAT Monday everyone!
Hugs,
Laura McCollough
P.S. This post is from some of the notes I took at church yesterday and from a lot that’s been on my heart lately. I’ve been writing a lot, reading a lot, going through the Gospels to hear Jesus’ words, listening to some great apologetics teachers and learning so much. I’d encourage you to open your Bible and read God’s Word daily. That is where you will hear the voice of God. Get a great commentary and read that along with the Bible to help you understand the context of the text. Listen to solid Bible teachers who teach God’s Word, not just share one verse and then tell you stories that make you feel good. We are living in the last days and we need to know the whole counsel of God, and it comes from Scripture alone.