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Morning Thoughts |
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Matthew
20:32-33, "And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I
shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened." This morning, life gets busier and busier. Every day seems gone before it arrives, as we think about the things we "have" to get done. One of the things that amazes me in a secular way is how short weeks are as full (work wise) as regular weeks. The same workload seems stuffed into a smaller time frame. From a spiritual sense, we can easily have our time stolen from us and consumed by the world and its contrivances without ever dwelling upon spiritual matters. We become "convinced" (to ourselves) that we will make more of an effort when we have "more time" instead of being "convicted" that we have not "made the time." To redeem the time that we have (Ephesians 5:16), we must consciously make the effort to reserve it for the things that matter and leave off the more unimportant things. Who was the busiest man that ever lived? Who had more to do than any other man that ever lived upon this earth? When thinking about our dear Jesus, He had more to do (both in weight and quantity) than any of us have. The two most important matters were: 1. saving us from our sins, and 2. setting up His church here upon this earth. But, His work and time extended into other matters as well besides these two magnanimous ones. Surely, if any man could have claimed that his life really did not "have the time," it would have been the busiest man that ever lived. Yet, this man's time, while precious and never wasted, was used in some very unique ways. Our verse shows a point of time that should strike a unique cord with us. The verse above basically says that the busiest man "stood still." We know and understand that means He did not move. Today, we live in a frantic, nervous society that looks at stillness with discomfort. People today do not like being in quiet rooms with little to no activity taking place. Our minds constantly seek stimulation from different environments. Yet, here we see our Lord standing still. Of course, the action of standing still was for a purpose, just as His steps were steps of purpose. We see from this account that His standing still was to wait for those two blind men who had called out to Him. He purposely did nothing as they approached. He did not call out, "If you can keep up, I will heal you." Rather, He waited upon them, and their faith saved them in the sense that they received their natural eyesight. (Luke 18:42) Now, someone may say, "What is the point?" The point is that there were times and purposes for our Master to stand still. He stands still when hearing our petitions and cries. Indeed, there comes a time when stillness is over, but there is stillness to hear our supplications and then actions to help and assist us when we call. The Lord, with perfect knowledge, always acts perfectly for the time. As our Master, we need to do and follow what He has done. Have you ever struggled to know whether to speak or not to speak? Has your mind wrestled about whether to wait or to go ahead and do something? Indeed, I believe that these questions and problems that we wrestle with are common to all of God's children, seeking to find the right time and season to the purpose under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3) There are times when we should wait and stand still. Moses told the children of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. (Exodus 14:13) We need to stand still to hear the still, small voice of the Lord. (I Kings 19:12) Therefore, two things require that we be still. The first thing to be still about is seeing the salvation of the Lord. Whenever it comes to His grace and mercy, we can only watch and see it without applying our hand to its aid. The children of Israel were no more equipped to part the waters than we are to help Christ save us. We can only be still, watch it, and rejoice in it with song. The other thing that requires we be still is listening for His direction. (Isaiah 30:21) For us to walk circumspectly as little children and humble servants to the Lamb, we need to wait upon the Lord to renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31) Our example is the One that stood still, for a purpose, to help His children. As He stooped down from heaven to pity us in a legal way by offering Himself without spot to God, He stooped further still to walk with us, comfort us, heal us, and pray for us. He today still stoops in a mediatorial way (standing at the right hand of God - Acts 7:56) by hearing our cries and answering our prayers. Consider that perfect praise is being given Him in song by saints gone on before, gathered around His throne. (Revelation 5:9) He pauses (stands still) from that glorious praise to listen to imperfect calls from His children here. He pauses from perfection to listen to imperfection. Yet, His stillness does not last. When He was still to the point of these men getting to Him, He asked them what they wanted (even though He knew). After hearing their petition, He acted in a way that no man could have done for them. They received something that man (by man's power) could not do. Yet, this Man did by God's power. There comes a point dear friends when we need to move and be up and doing. There are two very damaging actions for a child of God's walk: 1. doing when we should be waiting, 2. waiting when we should be doing. Many times, the waiting when we should be doing is coupled with this statement, "I just don't know what I am supposed to do." Sometimes, we really do know, but the answer is not what we want. Therefore, we deceive ourselves by saying we really do not know what our course is. David was not supposed to wait after he heard the going in the tops of the mulberry trees. (II Samuel 5:24) He was supposed to wait until that time, but after that time, it was time to move. The children of Israel were supposed to stand still and watch the Lord's deliverance at the Red Sea, but there came a time when they were told to move through the waters. There are moments in our lives when we need to be waiting upon the Lord, looking for His direction, and seeking His counsel. Yet, when the counsel and direction comes, we need to be up and moving doing what He has called us to do. What if the Lord had continued standing still after these men arrived to Him and made their requests known? What if they waited patiently and never received their sight? We might have a low opinion of Jesus, but He has shown us O man what is good. Part of what is good is walking humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8) If we are walking with Him, we are walking like Him. His walk was still when it needed to be, and full of action when it needed to be. He never acted when He should have been still, nor was He still when He should have taken action. Therefore, when He has called us to walk in a certain way, let us not plead the "time card," for He did more with less time than any of us. Let us not claim ignorance to the path with our indecision, when He has given us the inclination and impression of the path to travel. Finally, let us never be so busy that we forget to be still and wait upon Him. By being still, we will find two things: 1. we will find again some of the glory and majesty by pondering and observing again His salvation and how great things He has done for us, and 2. we will discover more ways (more time) to serve Him more acceptably than we have before. May we humbly walk with Him, ever seeking to walk more in step like Him. (Matthew 6:10)  In Hope, Bro Philip |