Be Still And Know Jesus
“Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Psalm 46:10
We all need to be filled up with the presence and love of Jesus. Then we will love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. We will be impelled by the love of Christ to give away the Father’s love to all we meet. Christians who first soak in the presence of Jesus will outperform others by about 10-1. The power of the love of God will carry them on the wings of the Holy Spirit. It won’t be a work to them. It will be a labor of love. They will not tire and burn out.
Judson Cornwall, in his book, Let Us Draw Near, words it so well when he explains soaking saying, "God’s presence is a radiating energy that can be absorbed. It is not fast acting; it takes quite a while to soak in. As priests were exposed to God’s presence day and night for a full week in the tabernacle, they were charged with the glory and the presence of God."
One of the greatest benefits of soaking prayer is receiving the love of God again and again. Francis MacNutt said "soaking through to the core of something dry that needs to be revived, takes time. Soaking prayer invites the love of our heavenly Father to seep into the painful core issues of our lives and bring healing and renewal. There have been countless testimonies from those who have had deep experiences of the Father’s love while being filled with the Spirit."
The Father is seeking quality relationships with His children. His children are frequently too caught up in the rat race of doing. His purpose includes giving us everything we need, but our greatest need is high quality time soaking in His presence, just being. Our Father is very pro-active in His search for worshippers. He is seeking you! All we need to do is show up and shut up. Our Father will do the rest. He will do all the "heavy lifting."
He will fill your heart with love, awe and amazement. But we need to be patient and persevere, remembering that we are instant people. Our tendency is to try it and if there are not instant results, we throw the towel in and quit. God’s timetable and ours are two different animals. He is in no rush. We definitely are!
The word of God says: "I have stilled my soul, hushed it like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me (Ps 131:2.) But the devil comes along and knowing that an intimate relationship with Jesus will break his influence on us, tells us that our greatest need is to get more done!
A comfortable place of solitude, where there are no distractions is a necessity. Maybe early in the morning when the whole world seems quiet, gazing at a crucifix from your favorite chair or watching the sun come up. Listening to a worship CD can be helpful. However solitude is key, without it intimacy will not happen. When we are soaking with Jesus, the scripture "All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces are being transformed from glory to glory into his very image by the Lord who is the Spirit" becomes a reality.
Much of the anxiousness of life is lifted when we enter into a lifestyle of soaking with Jesus. Our hearts are restless until they rest in Jesus. They are whip lashed from one direction to another by the many voices we listen to, and as a result never find true peace. It is a really big deal when we finally find that place of peace and rest, because it means we have found the Prince of Peace. Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." John 14:27
Our #1 priority should be to ask the Holy Spirit to soak our souls in the presence of Jesus. That is the very best use of our time. We need to do whatever we have to do to make it happen. This reality of Jesus within our soul causes a miracle to happen. Faith reaches out and writes a blank check to Jesus. His presence is so full of joy that to leave and go back into the rat race is no longer an option for us.
Here’s a secret... the best kept secret in the world. That few people know, even Christians. Your healing is in the quiet silence in the Master’s presence. Your abundance, your every need is at the feet of Jesus! The answers to all your questions are to be found in the solitude when it’s just you and Him. That pure love that you’ve been longing for all your life is waiting for you in the stillness of your heart... it’s as near to you as your next breath. You don’t have to work and strive for it and do a multitude of "religious" things. That’s a deception.
Be still and know Jesus!
***** JESUS IS LORD *****
