Be Still and Know God

             There was a baby dedication in church on Sunday and I was struck by what the Pastor said to the congregation following the prayer.  He shared he was glad his children were adults and relieved he was no longer responsible for raising little ones, although he is very much involved in the lives of his grandchildren.  Our world continues to spiral downwards and the magnitude of challenges are greater than even ten or twenty years ago, as morals and our Christian rights keep being whittled away.  

The sermon following the baby dedication was about how we as Christians, can claim the victory over sin and death, when we stand steadfast and immovable in the faith.  I wonder how we can stay strong when we don’t stay in the Word.   The Word is where we will find encouragement, answers to life’s problems and solutions to issues we face every day.

            Listening to a Christian radio station this week, I heard a comment made comparing eating our regular meals to sustain our bodies; to ingesting daily “food” from the Word to feed our spiritual needs and souls.  As I entertained the speakers thoughts, my mind visualized sitting down three times a day (or more if you are like me and eat five times a day!) to “feed on” God’s word.  What a profound thought.  I have tried diligently to dig into the Word.  I know it is what I need every single day to sustain and encourage me.  Still, I find I am forever hungry for more.  I feel like I never get full!  

 

            I am amazed as I watch world news confirming and re-confirming the end times.  Our world continues to change and in ten years who knows what our world will look like.  If we are horrified now, how will we feel ten years from now, as we head down a slippery slope with those who reject Christ in leadership positions?  I’m not just talking political here, although we have leaders so unlike our Founding Fathers who believed in a God who was worthy of recognition and supplication.  This process of rejection includes leadership in our schools, businesses, families, our churches (which sounds like an oxymoron, but there are those who choose to worship in clear opposition to Biblical teaching they find offensive or inconvenient) and certainly politically.  

 

            Are we strong enough, as believers, to look at unbelievers who persecute us whether deliberately or inadvertently to say securely, “I am strong in Christ and know one day I will spend eternity in heaven.”   Our spiritual lives depend on it.  We are closing in on an era where our freedoms to worship are being threatened while the teachings of Jesus in some venues is being twisted as “a feel good solution” to all that ails us.  Just as there is a Heaven for the righteous, there is a Hell for those who choose to reject the Savior and live in sin.

We, as a body of believers, will have suffering and trials, as any other human.  But we have the Shield and Strong Tower of God in which to find refuge.  But how can we know about our resources and the security we can find there if we don’t “feed” our minds and hearts with a vengeance every single day?  I encourage you to face your world today with the strength that comes from God; that comes from immersing yourself into God’s word, filling your heart and mind with the love letters written from a God who loves us so much, He sacrificed His son, Jesus for our salvation.  

Challenges await us every day.  Be ready, be strong.  Be still and know God!