Be Still – April 5, 2020

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Preached by PKO

Psalm 46:8 – 11. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  What an encouraging admonition from the Lord of hosts, the Captain of the Lord’s Army.

In this rat-race that we find our selves of constantly scurrying back and forth, COVID-19 is now forcing us to slow things down.  We need to BE STILL.  We need to leave things with God; God is about to do something, but we need to allow Him.  He has promised that He will come at the appropriate time.  He has said, “Don’t worry – leave it with me.”  God, since eternity past, has said He will deliver, He will set you free, and He will defend you.  “I am the present help at the time of trouble.”  Psalm 46:10 clearly says, “Calm and learn I am God; God is in control.” (CEV)

In light of God’s intervention, we have several options.  Being still does not necessarily mean do nothing or no action.  It simply means we need to calm down.  It means, ‘relax’, not fire for fire (Proverbs 26:4).  Being still refers to your reaction to action.

Be still requires the following

• Pray and be attentive (hear what the Spirit is saying; perceive what God is about to do)
• Praise and stay calm – Engage the power of praise
• Patient and be expectant – Endurance; bear under great pressure

We need to pray and be attentive (hear what the Spirit is saying; perceive what God is about to do).  Prayer is a two-way communication where we, not only talk to God, but also listen to Him and allow Him to speak.  In so doing, we can calm us don’t.  We should not pray in panic, but pray and remain calm. Pray so you can experience what the Lord is going to do.  Pray and bring to your remembrance what the Lord has done in the past.  If He has done it before, He is going to do it again. God is able to pull down the noise of noisome pestilence.

We need to praise and stay calm – Engage the power of praise.  In Acts 16:25 – 26, we read the story of Paul and Silas who chose to pray and praise through their tribulation which led to a shaking of the foundation.  When you get to the peak of the problem, have the energy to praise.   This resulted in an open door.  Only God and His promises are permanent; all other things are temporal.  Ultimately the prayer and praise brought the power of liberty / freedom.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

We need to be patient and be expectant.  Endurance is defined as “bearing under great pressure”.  It requires grace to perform and deliver under pressure.  This grace comes from God.

The real test of patience is not in prosperity; it is when you are under persecution.  Romans 5:3 tells us that  “Tribulations works patience.” James 1:2 – 4 goes on to say that the testing of our faith brings is what brings about patience.  In other words, the prerequisite for spiritual maturity is patience.  We need to wait patiently for Him God and rest in Him. (Psalm 37:7).  It is only when you stay calm that you are going to experience the power of God. – PKO

• Peace in pandemonium is not absence of struggle but calmness in the midst of struggle; Isaiah 26:3 reminds us that “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (NJKV)
• Christ in the middle of crises:  Because you are for Christ, Christ is there with you. “When you stay calm in the midst of crises, you will experience Christ.” – PKO. John 16:33 – Let Him prove He is the almighty
• Miracle that will nullify messes you have created for yourself.  Sometimes it is a result of inadequate preparation or pride (Proverbs 29:1; Isaiah 43:19)
• Power that can overturn the problem.  Panic came make us become powerless.  Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by power, not by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”  Let the Spirit of God do what only He can do.
• Fellowship at the peak of your fret. We should take the  time to maintain fellowship with the Almighty God.  Job 1:20.  The place of fellowship is the place of encouragement and admonishment.

Stay calm, divine help is around the corner.  So whether it is COVID-19, whether it is the Corona virus, or any other trial you may be going through, God is in control.