Stand Still

Jehoshaphat found himself in a situation.  Moab and the people of Ammon and others came up together to battle against him. 

Do you find yourself in a situation today?  A battle you did not initiate, one that you may or may not have even seen coming.  Nevertheless, you find yourself in the midst.

How did Jehoshaphat respond?  “Jehoshaphat feared……..and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah…….So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord.”

It is not your first reaction that makes all the difference; it is the moment that you turn to the Lord that matters.  You may have started out fearful, but now, you know to turn your face to the one that holds the outcome of the situation in His mighty hands.

God was faithful to the seeking!  He spoke through Jahaziel to Jehoshaphat and the people that were gathered.

God is faithful to speak into your situation today if you will seek Him and listen!

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

Fight= lacham= to eat of

Position- yatsab= set myself, put in place, as angles presenting themselves before God

Stand still = amad – stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand, cease, tarry, abide

See- ra’al= consider, perceive, inspect

Fear= yare-= awe or reverence

Dismayed= chathath = to be shattered, dismayed or broken

Tomorrow= machor=in future time, in time to come

You will not need to eat of this battle. Set yourself in place before God, stand, remain, endure, take a stand, cease, tarry, abide, and consider/perceive the salvation of the Lord, who is with your O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not stand in awe or reverence of your enemy or be shattered or broken, tomorrow and in the future time, go out against them, for the Lord is with you.  2 Chronicles 20:17

You do not need to “eat of” this situation.  The Lord is ready to fight for you, if only you would position yourself in Him, abide and perceive (not see in the natural sense, but perceive in the spiritual realm even before it can be seen in the natural) the victory that is before you, not just tomorrow as in the day after today, but as in your future. 

What situation do you find yourself in today?  Seek the Lord and listen to His instruction.  Then stand still and watch as He battles for you in this season.

I’m reading in the book of John at the moment and this morning, John 6:13 caught my attention. Jesus was feeding the 5 thousand. He took the bread, blessed it, broke it and then distributed it.

How many times have I read this passage? And when I read it again, I have a tendency to “skim” since I know the story. But God…….this morning slowed me down, and I read this verse: 

“So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost.'” (John 6:13).

This is more than a story about not “wasting” the leftovers. The original word for fragment in Greek is klasma, which is defined as broken pieces or broken fragments. The word for lost is apollymi which means to be put out of the way entirely or to be rendered useless or to cause emptiness to be perceived.

The people were filled, why bother with the few broken fragments of bread that were left? The people had already been attended to.

Even as Jesus is making us whole – feeding us and fixing the “problem” – there are still broken pieces left behind. Jesus wants us to gather those broken pieces. They are not to be rendered useless or to cause a perception of emptiness.

There is use for the broken pieces – those broken pieces are a large part of who we are and who we are becoming. Sometimes, I believe, we get stuck focusing on the broken pieces – and we experience such a feeling of lost – the what if’s and the regret.

Jesus wants us to understand that there need not be a feeling of loss. We have been fed and filled and now we can gather up those broken fragments -they are valuable and important – there is to be no loss! He will use all things for our good and for His glory. He will restore the years that the locust has eaten! In Psalm 56:8 the Psalmist declares that God has gathered all his tears in a bottle.

We all have broken pieces. In the past I have been tempted to wipe them all aside, disregard them or even worse look at them with disdain. But, if God is even gathering my tears, then how can I look down on the broken pieces that are evidence of the feeding and the filling?

Those broken pieces are an important piece of who we are and where we are going.

What broken pieces do you need to gather up today? The word for gather here is synago, which means to join together in one those previously separated. There is no need to separate yourself from where you’ve been. Where you’ve been is an important part of the story of where you met Jesus and how far He has bought you! The Bible says not to despise small beginnings.

Are you ready to gather the broken pieces today?

There Are Days When We Need To Stand Still

Psalm 62: 5-7 The Passion Translation

“I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for him to rescue me. Only God is my Savior, and he will not fail me.  For he alone is my safe place. His wrap-around presence always protects me as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me?  God’s glory is all around me! His wrap-around presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength.”

Are you in a stand still day or season?  There are times when we need to stand still, and not just a bit still but in absolute stillness before God -He is our safe place.  He will not fail us. 

Be encouraged today. When I read this I’m reminded of the verse that says:

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13

 And this one!

“Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17

Stand still before Him today – and see what He is and will do!