Whose voice is loudest and 

which one are you listening to?

 

Be still. What picture comes to mind when you read those two words? Be still.

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

I have written about this verse before, but today it is in my thoughts again.

Being still is something I have great difficulty in doing. I don’t have any trouble being busy, crowding my days with activities, running back and forth from task to task. But being still? Not so easy.

It’s so difficult to be still in such a restless world. It’s such a challenge to stop and be still in a world that calls us to busyness, that pulls us along in its current of always needing to ‘do’ something or ‘be’ someone.

This year has been a very busy year for us. In February we made some changes in the direction of our transport business. Just after that, we had a local flood in our little town of Katherine. In June we had the wedding of our daughter, and now yet another wedding is in the planning phase for our youngest daughter. Another daughter is due to have baby number six any day, and another daughter is expecting her sixth in December. I have a Ladies Conference in just over 2 weeks that our church is hosting, and I am speaking for and that only begins to scratch the surface.

As you can imagine, I have felt like I’ve been pulled in a hundred different directions, and I feel like a dog chasing its tail. Running around in circles, not really accomplishing a whole lot except working up a sweat and panting in frustration. I just finish one task when another one hijacks my time.

Everything in me screams to keep busy, keep running, don’t stop, don’t rest.

Can anyone relate? Does this sound like your life at times?

What does God call us to do in this verse in Psalms? To be still.

Yes, there is definitely a need to be busy and get things done, but there is also a need for stillness. For quietness. For solitude. For focused meditation on God and his Word.

The being still in this precious verse, has to do with surrender, letting go, forsaking and striving no more.

”The word used here - from raphah - means properly to cast down; to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue.” Barnes.

Being still carries the idea of being quiet and easy, not fretful and impatient or restless, but resigned to the will of God. It doesn’t mean to be inactive and unconcerned, but quiet. A quietening of the heart.

My word for the year, that I chose in December of last year, is REST. And this ‘being still’ really reinforces the lessons I am trying to learn in this area. Surrender. Letting go. Taking time to breathe. And more importantly, taking time to sit in God’s presence, in stillness and with a heart of submission, eager to hear what he wants to say to me.

It’s been harder than ever to make time for quiet meditation and study of God’s word. The devil is very busy trying to thwart the plans of a time set aside for study, learning, connection and spiritual growth. But as one of God’s children, I need to make time for stillness.

To be still is a choice. And often it’s a hard choice. We are all carried along by the tides of busyness, and we all have important things to do, but there is a time to just sit, and be still. And more importantly, to be still and know that God is God. To take time to tune out of the world and into God. To listen for that still small voice.

It’s so hard to hear God speak when we are letting the world scream in our ears. God speaks in the stillness. The devil screams in our busyness.

We find this phrase ‘be still’ in another place in the Bible that is worth mentioning. Look how it is used here.

Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

The difference here though is that in the Greek, these words, be still, mean to be silent or be dumb. So, in essence, hush or shut up. The Lord told the waves and wind to shut up! And I think sometimes, we need to just shut up, be silent and listen.

We fill our lives with so much ‘doing’ and not a lot of ‘listening’. We dart from one task to the next, always on the move, never resting, never stopping to catch our breath. But God requires us to come into His presence and just be still. To quieten our minds and our bodies and listen to what He has for us.

I think of Mary and Martha and the ‘encumbrance’ of Martha in contrast to the ‘quietness’ of Mary as she sat at Jesus feet. Mary chose the one thing that was needful. And that was to sit and be still and listen to the Lord. (Luke 10:42)

Sometimes we are intimidated by silence. It forces us to address issues we might be running from. It makes us stop and think. It causes us to focus on other things. But silence can be a great healer. It can be a time of communion with the Lord and gleaning guidance and wisdom from Him, without the distraction of a noise-filled world.

This is something I have been learning to do over the past few years. Sitting in the silence and letting God speak to me. I am becoming comfortable with stillness. I have begun to crave moments of solitude and times to sit and let God’s peace wash over my soul.

It has been said that we have upwards of 50 000 thoughts a day! And a lot of those thoughts are not healthy. They are anxious or fearful thoughts. We have to tell our minds to be still. To hush. To shut up! But quieting the mind takes practice. And it takes God’s help. We have to renew our minds and be transformed. (Romans 12:2)

Every day is a struggle. A battle of sorts. To keep our minds focused on God while we go about our crazy and hectic days. A constant renewing of our minds. A conscious effort of quieting our hearts and letting God speak to us. Of listening in the stillness.

If I can just force myself to stop and take the time to be still and surrender my will to God’s perfect will and sit down in body and spirit and really focus in on what He has for me, I find that the ‘noise’ quiets for a time and I am able to learn more about God’s purposes for my life and I find precious promises in His word that help me as I go about my day.

Sometimes I think that our being still is more like a little child that is sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside. They’ve been told to sit, but there is rebellion in their heart as they only outwardly obey.

We sit still, we ‘look’ like we are quietly spending time in prayer and study, but on the inside, we are anything but still. Our mind is distracted; we are not focused on the words in front of us or the prayer on our lips. Our to do list is running endlessly through our mind.

Being still is not just an outward appearance. It is a matter of the heart. It is an attitude of stillness. If we are not going to quiet our hearts and minds, we might as well keep running. God sees us through and through and He knows whether we are truly being still.

And so, here I sit. At my computer. Quiet music playing from the speaker on my phone. The air conditioner whirring softly above me.

And it’s not because I have nothing else to do. If I could only explain what I am neglecting in these quiet moments, your mind might explode. The morning has been very busy attending to the admin side of the business, babysitting precious grandchildren, fielding phone calls, doing household chores and the list goes on.

But in a moment of quiet, with little ones off home and the dishes and washing now done, I felt the pull of my to do list, I heard its call loud and clear, but something else was calling me. Or should I say, someone else was calling me.

God was calling me to be still. He was calling me to lay it down and rest for a moment. Not sit and scroll but sit in his presence. Meditating on the Words of scripture. Listening for his voice. He was calling me to commune with him.

Can I encourage you to let God’s voice be the one you listen to? Busyness will scream at you. Your to do list shouts. And often God’s voice is quiet. But it is there. And he longs for you to make time for him.

Stop thinking about your to do lists, put down your phone, just for a moment. Sit before the Lord. Dwell on his holiness. Listen to his whispers to your heart. Ask for a heavenly perspective on whatever it is you are facing. Focus on his presence. Set your mind on things above. Take time to worship him. Read your Bible. And don’t just read it, study it. Learn from it. Write it down.

If we want to hear God speak to us, we must sit still before him and read his Word. We need to take time to cry out to him, laying all our cares at his feet and let his peace flood our soul as we soak in his mercy and love and goodness, bringing the much-needed rest we crave. 

Give yourself a piece of quiet. Give yourself a moment’s peace. Take time to be still. Do whatever it takes to make time to spend in God’s presence. It’s not only our bodies that need rest. We have to give our souls time to catch up. We need soul refreshing. We need renewal. And the only way we will get it is to get with God. Alone. In the stillness. Surrender your lists. Take a long, deep breath. Let God speak to you.

Stillness is not a lack of noise. It’s a time to pause and reflect on God’s presence in our lives and his goodness to us as his children.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you letting him make you into His Bijar?

(Anxiety was a gift)

Often, I don't know why God puts something on my heart to share, but I know that if he puts it there, I'm supposed to listen. And so, I am reposting something I wrote a couple of years ago, with the confidence that someone out there reading this, needs to hear it today. 

God bless xx

 

Have you ever seen a Persian rug? I mean a ‘real’ Persian rug. Not a knock off version you might find at your local cheap shop. I’m talking about the real deal. The world renowned Bijar rugs that are woven in the city of Bijar, located in the northeast of Iran, in the Kurdish province.

Bijar has been famous for its rugs since the time of the first Persian Empire in 5^th Century BC.

A genuine Bijar rug is a hand-woven Oriental rug, woven by Kurdish weavers in the city of Bijar, Iran using time honoured weaving techniques that are unique to this particular area.

They have often been dubbed the “Iron Rugs of Persia” because of their remarkable durability, able to withstand up to 200 years or more, of heavy use.

The reason for their amazing robustness is found in the way the rugs are made. The Bijar rugs are made using a technique called “wet weaving”, a technique not used anywhere else.

This technique involves compressing the strands of wool tightly between rows of knots. After each row of knots have been tied, the weaver then inserts a weft. The weft strands are the horizontal threads that are interlaced with the vertical warp threads that form the foundation of the rug.

The wet weaving process requires dampening the wool as it is woven, giving it a pliability it wouldn’t normally have.

After the weft has been inserted horizontally, a heavy metal comb or hammer is used to beat down the weft strands and the knots, creating a dense, tightly woven fabric that as it dries, shrinks somewhat, leaving a very compact, firmly constructed, strong, durable and long-lasting rug.

The dampening, the tightly formed knots and the heavy pounding are what gives the rugs their extreme durability and longevity.

So, how does any of this apply to us and our Christian walk?

God wants to turn us into his Bijars.

Yes, you read that right. God wants to use the poundings in our lives, the trials, the difficult seasons, the job losses, the cancer, the grief, the unexplained anxiety, the debilitating depression – to weave a divine strength into our hearts.

Just 8 years ago, I was a different person than I am today.

For 6 months I fought an internal battle. An unexplained battle with depression, anxiety and panic attacks that literally took my breath away, threatening to take me out completely. It had made itself at home and nothing I could do seemed to shake it. Everything I tried failed.

But as I struggled along, fighting attacks of the devil, fighting within myself, crying out to God, letting my emotions overwhelm me, I began to let the Word of God wash over my soul. I began to read my Bible more. I began to pray like never before. I wrote out countless verses on little note cards and plastered them all over the place. I cried through more worship songs than I can count, I played the piano for our church through tears, eyes closed, the turmoil raging inside of me.

But while I was being pounded by waves of fear, while I struggled through days where I didn’t want to get out of bed, while I neglected friendships and often tried to put on a brave face hoping others wouldn’t notice, God was working. God was weaving threads of strength through my pain.

God was weaving a divine strength in my heart that would stand the test of time. He was using his iron tool to beat me down, but not with the intent of crushing me and rendering me useless. He was doing a purifying work, a work that would see me rise up stronger, more reliant on him, more compassionate towards others, more useful in his work and with a heart that desired him more than anything else.

By God’s grace, I did come through my period of trial. I had victory over anxiety. I had victory over fear.

With each day, I became increasingly stronger. My faith grew. God’s hammer of anxiety began to add a row of knots into the tapestry of my life, dampened with my many tears, the weft he wove added strength to my inmost being. And eventually, I realized that anxiety had no power over Christ. Fear had no hold on God. It couldn’t hold God and it couldn’t hold me.

I recognized that no matter what, Jesus would hold me. He wouldn’t let me go. He would continue to love me. To defend me. To keep me. He wouldn’t forsake me, and all my emotional needs were met in him. He was enough.

The fear that paralyzed me no longer held a deathly grip on me.

The depression that threw me into the dark abyss no longer overwhelmed me.

The cloud of anxiety that hung overhead was no longer there.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

But just because I was able to make it through this difficult season of my life, doesn’t mean I don’t find myself struggling with anxiety every now and then. It no longer has a hold on me, but I do feel its sting from time to time.

The difference is that the fear no longer paralyzes me. It doesn’t dictate to me my course of life. The peace that Jesus gave me then, I still have access to now.

All the verses of Scripture that I read over and over and the promises I clung to are still found in the pages of my Bible and they still apply.

I have more ammunition in my tool belt to fight off Satan’s attacks and I have a strength woven into my being that wasn’t there before.

So, when those moments of fear come upon me and I feel like I might go under, I rise up and hold onto what I learnt in those dark days. I cry out to God and remind him of his promises. I remember my past victories, and I open my lips and praise him.

God wants to make us his Bijars. His rugs that stand the test of time. Durable. Strong. Still vibrant and useful after years of use. Beautiful works of art.

You may be in a season of pounding right now. God may be using things in your life to build strength and resilience and reliance on him.

You may be facing things in your life that make you wonder if you can even last another day.

You may be hammered by trials, by fear, by rejection, by insecurities.

Don’t resist his iron tools, his wetting of the fabric of your life, his tying of knots and weaving in and out. He is working to create a masterpiece. A work of art.

His pounding can bring new strength.

Romans 5:3-4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

I never realised at the time that my anxiety was a gift. It felt like a cruel cross that I had to bear. But God used it to purify me and help draw me closer to him. He developed in me a love for him and his Word. He gave me a hunger and thirst for the Words of Scripture and a desire to study and grow in my relationship with him. He helped me to build a stockpile of promises I could cling to when times got rough.

He helped me to see the needs of others with a heart of compassion. He began to stir my heart to be sensitive to those around me and reach out and love others that needed a friend. He brought a peace to my heart that I had never known and a peace that could be a testimony to others of God’s goodness.

I am not the same person I was back then. I am being made more like Christ. Slowly but surely, through the trials God allows in my life, I am growing. I am far from perfect, but God is doing a work only he can do. He is cleaning out the things in my life that shouldn’t be there and replacing them with threads of various colours. Each line of weaving tells a different story. Each knot another tale. And the more I resist his workings, the uglier my tapestry becomes.

If I lay still under his hand, allowing his work to go on unhindered by my attitude and actions, he is able to create a masterpiece. Something that can show his glory and reflect his love. Oh, how I pray that I wouldn’t resist his workings and that I would submit to the hand of the master weaver.

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: 

when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; 

and renew a right spirit within me.

 

 

 

You can ask Him for it

 

After a conversation with a friend this morning, I have begun diving down a rabbit hole to try and make more sense of a verse I’ve never fully looked at. So, if you’re interested, put on your head lamp and climb down with me.

Psalm 86:17 KJV - Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

It’s this idea of a ‘token for good’. What does it even mean? Maybe you’ve already got it all figured out, if so, feel free to scroll on. But for those of you who want to learn more about what David was talking about when he penned this particular Psalm, stay with me.

Let’s start at the beginning.

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers that express praise, lament, thanksgiving and trust in God. It was written by multiple authors over a period of approximately 900 years beginning with the time of Moses. It is divided into 5 books, so scholars tell us, and this particular Psalm is part of book 3.

It is the only Psalm in this part of the book that is labelled ‘a prayer of David’.

We are drawn straight into the Psalm with a cry for help. Psalm 86:1 Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. David paints a picture of prayer and urgency and emotionally charged fears.

This Psalm was written during a time of persecution for David. Either Saul’s pursuit (1 Samuel 19-26) or Absalom’s revolt (2 Samuel 15-18). David was in distress, surrounded by his enemies and he knew his limitations and that he couldn’t fight his battles on his own.

We see David asking for mercy. For help. For God to listen to his cries. But we also see praise. We see him speaking of God’s goodness, his mercy, his greatness and for his ability to listen, answer and forgive.

So, when we come to the last verse of the Psalm, we see David asking for a ‘token for good’. Interestingly, he is not only asking it for himself, but also so that God may be revealed to his enemies as a God that is stedfast and loving. He wants God to be seen for who he really is. He wants others to see the goodness and greatness of God.

I’ve often quoted the phrase that we read in this verse, ‘token for good’, but not really thought too much about it. So, I decided it was time to think on it.

The word token is derived from the Hebrew term ‘ot’ which simply means a sign, or a proof of God’s favour. This particular word is used 79 times in the Hebrew, sometimes as token, sometimes as sign, miracle or mark.

“Tokens in biblical times held significant cultural importance. They were often used to signify agreements, treaties, or divine promises. The Israelites understood tokens not only as physical reminders but also as assurances of God’s presence.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, covenants were often sealed with tokens or signs. These symbols served to remind both parties of their commitments. Similarly, in the Bible, tokens are often presented as divine assurances to reinforce the faithfulness of God in His covenants with His people.”

One of the most well-known mentions of a token in the Bible is found in the book of Genesis (9:12) when God gives a rainbow as a token of his favour and a sign that he will never flood the earth again. It is a token of hope.

We see it again in Exodus (12:13). Here the token is blood. The blood of the Passover Lamb is a token of God’s protection and deliverance to the Israelite people.

When David asks for a token of good, he is asking for a sign from God that he is working on his behalf. He wants to receive clear evidence of God’s goodness. He wants a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

And I believe that we are well within our rights as a child of God, to ask of him, a token for good.

Sometimes, when the waves rise above us, when the clouds are dark and the pathway before us becomes hazy and unsure, we need a token. We need a reminder of God’s goodness.

David didn’t just cry out for help. He asked for a clear sign that he was not abandoned. He was honest about how he was feeling. He laid it all out, but he held onto hope, kept praising in the storm, and waited in expectation for deliverance, asking for a sign to help him keep the faith.

It wasn’t so much that he doubted God’s goodness, but that he needed tangible evidence that God was still working, so that he could keep believing.

I don’t know what token it is that you need today that will speak to you. I don’t know what evidence it is that you need to keep you from letting go. I can only speak from personal experience.

Sometimes for me a token for good is the sound of a butcher bird singing his song on a quiet morning. Sometimes it’s a cool breeze. Sometimes it’s a cloud in the sky. Sometimes it comes in the form of a verse of scripture given at the exact moment it is needed. Other times it is a text from a friend. An encouraging word. A song or a moment of silence in an all too noisy world.

Whatever it is, it is yours to ask for. Ask God to give you a token for good. Ask him to reveal himself in a way that speaks to you.

It’s okay to ask for reassurance. We can ask for a sign of God’s presence in our lives. These assurances help to strengthen our faith during difficult times. It’s okay to ask. It is part of the faith journey we are walking.

Whatever it is that you are dealing with today, be open and honest with God about it. Don’t ever feel guilty about pouring your heart out to God. Be raw. Be vulnerable. Be real. Let the tears flow if need be. Let the words of frustration come out. Lay it all out. Give it to God. And ask him to give you a sign. A message of hope. In whatever form he sees fit. And then, watch for it.

What is the token for good that you can hold on to?

Remember don’t ask only for yourself. Remember that David asked also that God would be revealed to his enemies. He wanted God’s greatness to be shown. We need our tokens for good to show to a lost world that God is faithful. That he keeps his promises. That he is good even when things are not good in our lives.

And lastly, have confidence in God that he will do what he says. David ends the Psalm with these words:

…………….because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me. He closes with a note of confidence. David had seen God work before, and he knew that he could do it again. God had a history of support and care in David’s life. God had actively intervened in his circumstances before, and David reminded himself of the fact.

Remind yourself of past victories and keep praising him in the storm. Ask him to show you a token for good.

Matthew 7:7,8 - Ask, (keep asking) and it shall be given you; seek, (keep seeking) and ye shall find; knock, (keep knocking) and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.