BE STILL

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalms 46:10).

Many have been put into serious problems just because they will not keep their tongue in its right place. I once read of a physician who could no longer endure his talkative patient. After a while, he came up with an idea, telling his fair patient to put out her tongue as though he was going to examine the chattering instrument. Then the doctor continued writing out the prescription without even as much as glancing at the woman. When he had finished, he turned to her and said: “There, that will do, take it to the pharmacy”. “But, doctor,” protested the lady, “you never even looked at my tongue”. And the doctor replied: “It wasn’t necessary. I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription”.

Sometimes, we also need to keep quiet so as to allow God sort out the issues of our lives. The quietness I am talking about goes beyond refraining from making speeches. I am talking of a calmness of the total being - mind and body. That, I believe is what God is demanding from us when He ordered, "Be still, and know that I am God". God is saying, "I work best for you, in you and through you when you are quiet and calm". I believe that it will be of a great benefit to your whole life if in the next couple of days, you would make time to spend some real quiet moments before the Lord.

The other day, my wife and I went to see a woman in the hospital. She was running a fever and she was very agitated. Her blood pressure was over the top, giving her doctor much concern. She wanted me to pray quickly and seriously because, according to her, she was sensing death all around her. By this time, the doctor, himself a believer, was getting afraid and advised I should minister deliverance to her. But I turned to the woman, spoke the word of God to her and insisted that she must calm down and keep quiet. By the help of God, I was able to keep her quiet while I did the talking, speaking faith into her. After about a quarter of an hour, I asked the medics to recheck the blood pressure and body temperature. We were all amazed at the transformation - everything was back to normal. And please notice that there was no prayer.

Isaiah 30:15 says that there is great strength in quietness - I believe it because I have seen that strength on display. Even in some battle situation, quietness could be the tool that would fetch you victory, contrary to what some prayer warriors would have us think. In Exodus 14:14, Moses told the children of Israel by the inspiration of God that quietness is what will bring down the hand of the Lord against their enemy and give them the much needed deliverance.

But I know that there is time for everything - "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7b). Trusting the Lord to help you discern what time you are in will be very crucial in this matter.