On Sunday, there was a repeated theme, not in the sermon, but in some of the other aspects of our liturgy. Pastor Andrew used Psalm 33 for our pastoral prayer. We had a reading from Psalm 46. We sang a song based on Psalm 40. A different pewrson picked each of these elements and we did not coordinate them to go togerther. In all of these, the idea put forth is: rest (wait, be still) in the Lord, for He is our strength (shield, fortress, rock).
Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield. | Psalm 33:20
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. | Psalm 46:10–11
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure. | Psalm 40:1–2
The people who these were written by and to did not have the internet, television, or radio. They didn’t have cars or Uber. They often lived rural rather than urban lives. It doesn’t seem like they would have too hard of a time finding the space to be still. Yet, it was enough of a struggle for them that it had to be said over and over.
For us, the idea of waiting is almost impossible. We don’t have to be patient in any other part of our lives. We can order things and have them delivered within days. We watch movies on demand. Even our food can be fast food. Likewise, we don’t know how to be still. When we have a few seconds of down time, we don’t sit with our thoughts, we scroll on our phones.
While we have overcome the need to wait physically, mentally and spiritually, we still need rest.
The non-stop barrage of bad news and hot takes is inhumane. We can not handle being given a front row seat to thousands of things that we have no ability to do anything about. As anxiety rates go through the roof and 15 to 20 percent of the population is on anti-depressants, we have to ask ourselves: what does it mean to be still?
To answer that, we need to recognize why we need stillness: to know that He is God. If we are constantly feeling the need to respond and be the answer to the problems of the world, we will never stop. There will always be another problem. There will always be more to do. The difference between how much we have accomplished and how much injustice remains will lead us to despair. As long as we imagine that humanity has the answers to the problems humanity has created, we will continue to spin our wheels, working tirelessly to create more problems than we solve. Stopping and waiting are the ways for us to recognize where true hope lies.
God designed this waiting and resting into creation. When He calls His people to take a Sabbath rest, it isn’t just to recuperate, but to be reminded of how things actually get done. As we put down our tools, we can be sure that He will provide.
Waiting implies that you will get going again. This is not a call to inaction. It is a reminder to us that our natural reaction is to step out in front of God. To get distracted by the chaos. When this happens we do less; we miss out on the things that we can change that are right in front of us.
Make sure that there is time in your schedule to be still. When you feel the impulse to act, take a moment. With the rock beneath our feet, we will have the strength and focus to do exactly what God calls us to. After waiting, we may find that it was not the things we were originally drawn to.