“Keep silence before Me, O islands: and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: le us come near together to judgment.” Isaiah 41:1
In the forty-sixth Psalm, the Lord God calls all men, especially those who believe in Him, to “Be still, and know, that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (v.10) Why is it so very important to be silent before God, to be still before Him? It is in the quietness and confidence that, not only does God bring before us the great vision of who He is, but very importantly also, what He desires to be to mankind, and the individual. With the constant pull of circumstance, and a cacophony of noise, distractions, and movement, we are apt to lose sight of who God is. Especially in times of war, and difficulty, when circumstances are adverse and the pressures of life are bearing down on the individual, the call comes forth even more earnestly, “Be still, and know…” If one is to fix one’s eyes afresh on Jesus Christ, the very Author and Finisher of faith, then one will need to come aside, or as Matthew’s gospel declares it, into that solitary place, to be alone with God. It is there in that place of certain good, as one waits wholly upon God that He reveals Himself to the heart. It is in the stillness that the impressions of His Spirit become convictions, promises become solid stepping stones, and commandments take on a greater power and convicting, imperative importance. The eternal God, the God of peace, desires to speak to the heart and mind, and this in any and every situation, for He commands us to “…acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He WILL direct our paths.” This is the One, though Almighty and glorious, condescends to us individually, in the circumstances of His choosing, to speak to us, revealing His word for the moment, a word of life and power. Receiving that word by faith, will result in the communication of God’s power, His strength being revealed and manifested to the individual believer.
In the fortieth chapter of Isaiah, we read a most wonderful verse which reveals to us how God works in the heart and mind of the believer. He takes the believer where he is, with all of his limits, and his need for strength and power, and them provides him with a pathway, which if taken, will result in him receiving the very strengthening by God in heart, mind, soul, spirit, and body. God’s way is for man to “wait” upon Him, depending, expecting, actively believing Him to come to the aid of the helpless, hopeless, and powerless. The consciousness of our weakness and need, is God’s call to the individual to turn to Him alone, and wholly, appealing to the greatness of His mercy and grace, in order to receive, and know God’s intervention in answer to faith. The promise is, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” (Is. 40:29) If God can find a person who will believe Him, trust and obey Him, when all around him seems to be sinking sand, and a restless sea, then that person will know God. He will be still and know the power and presence of God.
What is necessary for the faint, and strengthless soul, to look heavenward, and be certain that God will give that which is good, and this according to His faithfulness? The first thing is having a true vision of Christ, that very “…rod out of the stem of Jesse, …and a Branch (that) shall grow out of his roots.” (Is. 11:1) What does this mean? It means that Christ, as the “rod” possesses all power and authority in heaven and in earth, to meet every individual who calls upon Him in his need. It also means that as the Branch, the living Vine, nothing can separate the believer from Christ, our eternal life.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.