Being Still

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted 

among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10

Psalm 46 is an incredible passage that speaks peace and confidence into a very troubling experience. There is no clear evidence that reveals the secondary author of this Psalm, but we certainly know the primary author is the Spirit of God. We could look at the life of David and realize that he could have been moved to write these verses, as he was very well acquainted with difficult circumstances in his life. Likewise, Moses could have been the human instrument to pen this testimony of faith rising victoriously over fear. I was moved several years ago to appreciate the possibility that perhaps Isaiah wrote this brief, yet powerful Psalm. Great men of the word like John Stott, Warren Wiersbe and John Phillips have researched and written that this testimony might be about the experience that King Hezekiah and Isaiah shared when the king of Assyria sent his army of 185,000 soldiers to surround, capture and destroy Jerusalem. This time of terror resulted in the Lord sending His angel to put to death this entire army in one fateful night. (For an in-depth look at the faithful life and gracious reign of Hezekiah, you can read 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-31) Beloved, there will be experiences in our lives that will remind us that we are helpless and powerless to overcome personal challenges in our own limited and frail strength. Just as Hezekiah poured out himself to the Lord in humility and sincerity as this invading and intimidating army came up against him and his people, we need to have the same mindset as we face challenges, problems, and events that upset us and overwhelm us.

For most of my adult life I have been a man of action. I take pleasure in having an agenda of what needs to be done and doing it. This attitude was placed into me at an early age. Growing up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta meant working from can to can't when precious days of ideal weather gave us a limited window of opportunity to accomplish needed tasks. Many vital activities on the farm could not be rolled over to another day. Whether it was planting, harvesting, or anything in between, we had to work long and hard to ensure agricultural success. Many of these developed attitudes followed me into the ministry. Whatever needed to be done for the glory of God in the body of Christ, I was willing to do it. I despised lackluster attempts at serving the Lord when a job needed to be done while the souls of men were at stake. Dead services, boring sermons, dull music, and pathetic prayers were to be avoided at all costs. As a pastor, I desired and demanded personal excellence in all that I tried to do, and I expected the same attitude from my church leaders. Anything less was unacceptable to me and would not be tolerated. More than once I boldly told people that if they wanted to attend a lifeless church where God never showed up, I would gladly name a few where they could go and be happy in the dead atmosphere of a godless vacuum. In that season of my life, I distinctly remember being approached by one of my church members who was very concerned for my physical, mental and emotional well-being. She was a pastor's daughter and had witnessed her dad suffer a debilitating breakdown that cost him his ministry, and nearly his life. She challenged me to keep a record of my ministry hours per week, and she promised to find out what I discovered at a later time. I assured her that I would fulfill her request, and to no surprise I discovered that I was logging an average of 100 hours per week in ministry. During that time I was preparing sermons and preaching numerous times a week; visiting our local shut-ins and members in area nursing homes; traveling to local hospitals in Booneville, Corinth, New Albany and Tupelo, as well as to those hospitalized in Jackson, Memphis, and Birmingham; maintaining evangelistic outreach in our church community; reaching out to those members who were not being faithful in attendance; and participating in preaching opportunities at other churches in the surrounding areas of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. It was during those days that I considered golfing or fishing pastors to be slackers. After all, how could a true man of God take a day off when the Devil was constantly on the prowl? When she finally asked me for a report, tears fell from her eyes as she silently turned and walked away after hearing my testimony. I readily admit that being still in that day for me, did not equate to having a greater, personal knowledge of the Person of God.

It was not long after this encounter, that He began to open my eyes to some incredible truth. In John chapter six, Jesus was asked an important question: "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" His answer was unique: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." In other words, those around Christ wanted to know the secret, or the formula, for doing the work of God. The miracles of Jesus were capturing the attention of everyone. He was doing only what God could possibly do. Therefore, they sincerely wanted to know what they must do in order to perform or accomplish the work or activity of God. But Jesus did not give them a formula, nor share with them a secret. Rather, He told them the truth: FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD IS THE ONLY REQUIREMENT IN FULFILLING THE WORK OF GOD!

What does this mean? It means that only God can perform or accomplish the work or activity of God. It is absolutely ludicrous to assume that any humanistic endeavor, no matter how sincere, can accomplish the work of God. He showed me that I, in and of myself, would never be anything but an absolute failure in life and ministry. I cannot save anyone. I cannot change anyone. I cannot sanctify anyone. I cannot grow a church numerically, nor spiritually. I cannot create, manufacture, nor sustain a revival experience. I cannot do anything that has any eternal value. Only God can do these kinds of things, and Jesus did them because He was God, and He can do them now because He is still God today! Our focus and responsibility, therefore, is to trust and obey His voice, because He is the one who will accomplish the work of God through His people as we yield ourselves to Him! Now do me a favor, re-read the previous paragraph, and this one as well, then go somewhere and shout HALLELUJAH!

The Lord also reminded me of the dilemma of the early church when a dispute arose over some of the members being neglected. Instead of doubling and tripling their efforts to minister to everyone, the pastors instituted the deacon body to come along side and assist them. They said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Imagine this scenario, the church is multiplying, and a dispute arises that threatens the harmony and unity of the body of Christ. Yet in the midst of this upsetting reality, they recognize that being still in His presence must be their priority in order to rightly divide and teach the word of God. And what was the result? God began doing only what He can do. "Then the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

I share this testimony to help you understand how God taught me of the importance of being still. Think about it, the great Apostle Paul accomplished more by being still than on his missionary journeys. What do I mean by this? It was after he was arrested and imprisoned that God used him to write most of the New Testament. His "prison epistles" are still being used today to grow churches and transform lives, long after Paul's death in Rome. It was the beloved disciple John who was banished to the Isle of Patmos as an aged warrior of the Gospel. Yet in this horrible environment, separated from family and friends, this man was being still in the presence of God. And what was the result? "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." Yes, beloved, being still for John increased his knowledge and experience of God, and the result for us was the Book of Revelation. Another example would be the rugged Galilean and former fisherman, Peter. It was this outspoken, impetuous man who would be filled with the Holy Spirit to provide key leadership for the early church. And it was this man who would also be imprisoned in Rome before his execution that allowed him to be still and experience the inspiration of God in writing his two epistles. Though Peter's physical voice has been silent for centuries, his spiritual voice will reverberate throughout eternity as a human author of God's holy word.

In the book of Ephesians, the Bible says, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The word redeem comes from the Greek word 'exagorazo' and has the root meaning of purchasing, buying or investing. Because the word for time can also be translated as season, this phrase conveys the idea of investing wisely to make the most of every opportunity, or taking advantage of opportunities that are given since they may never be available again. Someone helped me tremendously quite a few years ago by teaching me that we are human beings, not human doings. The emphasis of spiritual development, therefore, should be on our inner relationship to Christ, and not upon our outward activity for Christ. Failure to understand this was the reason the church at Ephesus was rebuked in Revelation 2:1-5. Their focus was so riveted on their faithful performance of certain Christian duties, they failed to spend quality time at the feet of Jesus. The testimony of Martha in Luke 10:38-42 is very similar, as she did not realize that her greatest need was maintaining intimacy with Jesus. And like Martha and the Ephesian believers, I also have to be constantly reminded of this principle, for I easily get caught up seeking to check the boxes of my spiritual to-do list rather than redeeming precious time in His presence.

In closing, please allow me to ask us some serious questions: Are you and I redeeming the time by making the most of every opportunity and practicing the lost art of being still in the presence of God? Are we taking advantage of solitary seasons of life by investing quality time praying, fasting, reading, meditating, and worshiping? And if you are a pastor or serving in some kind of teaching capacity in your local church, I pray that you will understand that you cannot do the work of God, only He can perform His work. May He graciously and wonderfully empower us to do both the impossible and the eternal as we learn to be still, and truly know that He is God. Amen.

The Final Fifteen

"Stir up the gift of God which is in you."

"You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

"Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

"Flee youthful lusts; and pursue righteousness." 

"Preach the word!" 

"Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

All of the scripture verses quoted above can be found in 2 Timothy, which was Paul's final epistle that God inspired him to write before his Roman execution. It is also, of course, the last of what we call the Pastoral Epistles that Paul wrote, as he was seeking to encourage and admonish both Timothy and Titus to remain faithful to their calling into the ministry.

Many believers profess that an annual self-inspection, or spiritual inventory, is a valuable tool for growing in grace. I suppose that such an activity can have some merit, as long as it is not used to evaluate our lives in comparison to others, which can lead us into a sense of either spiritual pride or personal despair. It can also be dangerous to invest too much time in looking backward into the past, as Paul himself said, "One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

As someone who spends an incredible amount of time on the highway, I realize that it is a good habit to constantly glance into my rear-view mirrors to remain aware of what is happening around me. Gazing into my mirrors, instead of glancing, however, would be extremely foolish unless I was backing up at that particular moment. I do not want my eyes locked in a stare at any of my mirrors while I'm traveling forward at highway speeds. That type of activity could be both dangerous and deadly for me and for you!

Hitting a so-called personal milestone last year caused me to become more acutely aware of the value of each day. At the same time, as I surveyed the spiritual landscape surrounding me, I began to realize that I might be running out of time to experience a radical move of God in our land. Beloved friend, I sincerely believe that we are in the twilight hours of the church accomplishing her assignment before the soon coming rapture, and I understand that I am much closer to the finish line of my life's journey as well. In light of this truth, please read along with me as I glance back a bit, and then gaze ahead.

THE FIRST FIFTEEN: When God saved me in 1983, and called me into the gospel ministry in 1988, I had no idea what I would experience. Tammy and I followed His leadership as best as we knew how. We bumbled along like spiritual toddlers, I'm sure, but He was always faithful. As I developed and grew through seminary training and pastoral experience, God opened doors for preaching and ministry that could only be explained by His divine activity. There was a time that I kept meticulous records of where I was traveling and the messages that I preached while in those places. As I compiled a growing list of countries, states, cities, towns, and churches that I visited, those records eventually became a source of unholy and unhealthy pride. I inwardly glowed over the miles that I traveled on the road and in the air to fulfill my ministry assignments and thought it to be quite impressive that I was leading revival, prayer, and church growth conferences, especially in light of the fact that I had never completed my seminary degree. The Lord opened my eyes to this utter foolishness and wickedness in 2005, after I had sought to impress a congregation in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area that I was standing before them that night and preaching Bible message number 5,000 to an audience of listening ears. Not long after I returned home from that Oklahoma meeting and still under conviction about my arrogance, I burned all of my meticulous records, the revival and conference marketing posters and fliers that I had retained, the many newspaper clippings concerning the events that I had been involved in and collected from various cities, as well as all of my saved copies of monthly and quarterly ministry newsletters that I had written and mailed to thousands of recipients.

THE MIDDLE FIFTEEN: As we moved further into the beginning years of this new millennium, opportunities began to decrease for many of us involved in itinerant ministry. Churches in America were rapidly changing, as they were either suspending or simply eliminating services that required attendance beyond the Sunday morning commitment. Revival meetings with hard preaching to call the church to brokenness and humility were looked upon as useless relics of the past. "Methods must always be changing" was the newest cliche overheard in all of the pastors conferences, and there seemed to be no room for dinosaurs like myself in the ministry plans of modern, progressive churches.  Invitations to continue overseas ministry was ongoing, but without viable work at home, these opportunities had to be declined. It was during this time that I was serving as a trustee of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and learning a great deal about church planting becoming the greatest spiritual weapon to impact lostness in a community. It was through the influence of the IMB that Tammy and I believed God would have us start a non-traditional church to reach out to the Mississippi State University campus. God was gracious to allow us to begin DayStar Church and develop relationships with numerous students, as well as other residents in Starkville. This season of life eventually demanded that I become what is known as a bivocational minister. I was blessed to serve as a chaplain for a local hospice company, followed by a two-year stint working in the transit system at MSU, giving me even greater access to meet and befriend students. I soon began driving charter buses to provide for my family financially, and it was during these years that circumstances changed drastically for us, and my eyes were taken off of Jesus. I tried to maintain my ministry by going through all of the motions. I can tell you from personal experience, that won't work. I realized that something had to change, and with another church launching in Starkville with our same vision and thriving, it was time to face the harsh reality that I was a failure in my current assignment and walk away from our church planting experience.

THE FINAL FIFTEEN: Well, here I am several years removed from those past events, yet still desiring to be used of God for His kingdom purposes. Pastors have reached out to me occasionally to preach for them, which is always a blessing, and I was able to serve our home church for a few months last year during a season of great need while we were without a pastor. Some ministers have even wanted to submit my name to churches looking for a pastor in their areas of service, but we have never believed God would have us move at this stage of life due to ongoing family responsibilities here at home. I look upon my future as "The Final Fifteen" while realizing that I personally may not have fifteen more years of life as I know it. But think about it, none of us may have fifteen more years, as the rapture of the church could take place tonight, or death for any one of us may occur before sunrise! Yet however, and wherever, God delights in using us, Tammy and I are praying that He will be glorified as we run our last laps in the race of faith. And as we pray and wait for our next ministry opportunity, I ponder upon those verses listed above, as well as this beautiful passage from Psalm 71:17-18:

"O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come!"

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