Being still when our surroundings feel like chaos can be so hard, right? Here’s a quick reminder and prayer that you might stop in midst of all of it and experience the refuge, strength and peace that comes when we remember that He is God (& we are not 😉)
top of page
wife | mama
writer | speaker
organizational consultant
less stuff <∞> more life
blog
Search
Updated: Apr 29, 2021
The other day, our pastor made a statement that struck a deep cord within. He said,
“Your face reflects what you are facing.” He went on to say that if the eyes are windows to the soul, then our face must be the doorway. Love it. It reminded me of the face of Moses when he came down from the mountaintop after meeting with the Lord. He made the long trek to the mountain’s peak in order to meet face to face with God, to seek His will, His wisdom and His ways…and when Moses finally came down, he was completely unaware that his face was radiant with the peace and glorious presence of Almighty God. Exodus 34:29 The radiant peace and presence was not contrived by Moses’s sheer will to work out the problem before him…it was simply a result of humbly placing himself at the feet of God the Father to receive all that His Father would offer. I sometimes wonder what was going on in Moses’s heart as he arrived to the mountain’s peak, exhausted from the long trek. Maybe he turned around and looked long and hard at the valley filled with the countless number of the sons and daughters of Israel. Then, with his back turned to the Father, he breathlessly proclaims, “Lord! I am exhausted! You cannot imagine how stubborn are the hearts of your people! 😬The position you have placed me in is beyond bearable - I do not have the strength, the wisdom and the where-with-all to oversee the multitudes of people at the foot of the mountain! Circumstances are hard and I just don’t know what to do!!!” I then picture the Father, grasping Moses’s chin, turning the face of his servant from the problems of the valley to the magnificent, radiant face of the Father on the mountaintop. Patiently, the Father locks eyes with Moses and replies with this: “Exactly, my son. That is the point…” I don’t know about you, but It is so easy for me to face the valley of troubles that present themselves before me and I immediately begin to pull up the figurative bootstraps, trying to research and plan my way out of it, forgetting Whose I am, a daughter of the King, and that He has and will continue to fully equip me to carry out His calling on my life - as wife, mother, daughter, counselor, cook, cleaner… On so many occasions, I awaken and begin to ponder the day ahead…all that is before me, so much that is out of my hands. I essentially remain in the valley of trouble, facing circumstantial evidence that causes me to shake in my shoes, and my face slowly begins to reflect the difficulties before me - in essence, I allow the difficulties to tempt me to become difficult. Impatience nestles up beside me, fear begins to enshroud me, and suddenly the darkness in my heart creeps up to my face, which unbeknownst to me, has become withdrawn, dark and downcast. Talk about exhausting! Not only are the circumstances burdensome, but now I’ve allowed the circumstantial evidence before me become the only foundation on which to place my mind, will and emotions. Yikes! And yet, I have also found time and again that if I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to make what seems like a painstaking trek to the mountaintop by creating the time and space in my day to approach the Father for some FaceTime, I suddenly find my heart infiltrated with His comfort and love, and, almost imperceptibly, my face becomes radiant with His peace, His love and His glory. Just like the picture of Moses on the mountaintop with God the Father, I picture the Father grasping my chin, locking His gaze with mine, and gently whispering this, “My daughter, when you fix your gaze on the valley of problems before you, your heart is darkened and your face becomes downcast. Self sufficiency allows no room for my radiant glory. And yet when you choose to make a way to the mountaintop with Me, even though nothing may change in your circumstances, everything changes within your heart, and just like Moses, your face will become radiant with My peace, with My Presence, and with My glory…” The tenderness of that visual almost makes me teary. Oh, that I would follow when the Holy Spirit gently nudges me to fix my gaze on the heavenly Presence of the Father when the things of this earth begin to falter and fail. “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on you because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3
"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10
Last night my mom showed me an old-fashioned alarm clock that was my Great Aunt Anne’s, (my secret namesake as my middle name is Dianne. 😉 ) I loved my Great Aunt Anne - she was like a mama to my own mom…she never had children, but I think the Lord allowed a special bond between the two in order to fill a void each felt.
Born in 1906, Aunt Anne came to age in an era where wearing pants for a woman was just, “no”, and yet she did. Traveling across the country on a train by herself was also just, “no”, and yet she did. I loved her. She was a pioneering trail-blazer who was born well before her time and yet she always had time to sit and be still with you…So as my mom shared the stories behind her old alarm clock, I was also thankful for the, “be still moment” with her 🙂 My mom and I have the privilege of sharing an office, serving side by side at the school my husband and I helped co-create seven years ago this January. I love serving there and yet I know my flesh tendency is to NOT be still. Leading up to our week-long Thanksgiving break I had been burning the candle at both ends…staying up WAY past my usual bedtime only to awaken the next morning at 4:45 a.m. to go workout with my husband. I hadn’t chosen many, “still moments” with my mom, and my quiet moments with the Lord became shorter and shorter until I finally brought my Bible to work one morning hoping to sit and soak during a brief lunch break, but even lunch was pushed to the back burner that day… All that to say, I started to feel not-so-awesome last Saturday, and then Monday I was hit full force with some bout of sickness, causing me to pause in my tracks and spend the next three fever-filled days secluded in my darkened bedroom, missing my youngest son’s 16th birthday celebration. 😷😔 Such a tremendous miss on my part that didn’t need to happen had I only taken the time to pause…
pausing to rest, pausing to refuel my body, pausing to spend still moments with my mama, and maybe most importantly,
pausing to simply, “Be Still” with my loving God who desires relationship above any sort of religion or rules of doing.
It is of no surprise to me that at 2:00 a.m. this morning, the Lord gently nudged me awake with this simple phrase,
Literally stop. 🛑
I rubbed my eyes a bit and whispered, “Wait, what, Lord? Literally stop what?” I felt like He replied with the sweetest correction and encouragement that only a Father could offer. To be honest, it felt like a sort of, “Prescription to Push Pause”. When I looked up the word, “prescription”, I discovered that it means, "to write before." That made me smile because the next thing He whispered was just that, a word spoken before the day even began instructing me to pause.. He replied to my question with this:
My beloved, stop and let the morning start without you...
I will say this again because I am sure that these words are a shock to your system: Stop and let the morning start without you... Be still in My Presence and let the cadence of these pausing moments set the rhythm of your day. You might find it refreshingly peculiar how these “late starts” actually place you ahead, all because of your decision to follow Me into a place of rest even before the race begins... Yes, my beloved, be still with Me and know that I AM God. I AM Father Time. Time acquiesces to my bidding, willing to speed ten steps forward or fall ten steps behind simply at my command. Yes, even time will pause for Me. When you choose to be still with Me, you will have the opportunity to watch Me work this same miracle in your life. Test Me and see that I AM a good Father whom you can take at My Word. The few fleeting moments you choose to reside in my royal Presence will return to you with great dividends! Watch with great anticipation as I
multiply your minutes,
increase your ingenuity
and cover you with my creativity
simply because you have chosen to let the day start without you, seeking instead the peace of my loving Presence.
I AM your Father who loves you. I AM The One Who Knows Best. I AM ever with you. Keep stride with Me alone, letting Me set the rhythm of your heart and the cadence of your day.
Be still and know that I AM God.
Receive my Prescription to Push Pause. I AM giving you permission. Breathe in the peace of my living and loving Presence. Be filled with all of Me in the pause and watch the Prince of Peace lead you, cover you and follow in your wake. Signed, Your Father who loves you enough to prescribe you to be still and is willing to bend time for your favor
May this be a sweet word of encouragement that speaks to you during this wonderful (and potentially busy) time of year. May you take a moment each day to pause with the Prince of Peace so that His Peace might also lead you, cover you and follow in your wake!
Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 38:8; Joshua 10:13
I have included this particular link to, "Prince of Peace" by Hillsong, as it is sung live on the steps of the Temple Mount. It is an incredible soaking song whose lyrics usher the listener into the peace-filled presence of the Lord.
bottom of page